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Mayor: Two local plants shed about 100 jobs; Aliceville plans job fairs and state outreach
Summary
Mayor Terrence Windle said the lumber side of Buchanan Lumber and operations at Alabama Casting recently cut staff, together affecting roughly 100 positions. The city is coordinating with state workforce partners, holding a small job fair at city hall and planning a larger August event.
Mayor Terrence Windle said Aliceville has lost two sizable local employers and that city officials are coordinating immediate help for displaced workers.
"Since the last time that we spoke, we've had at least two major jobs that have closed in our area," Windle said, naming the lumber side of Buchanan Lumber and changes at Alabama Casting as the two operations affecting workers. He said the lumber side closed about two to three weeks earlier and that approximately 50 jobs there were affected; he estimated a similar number tied to the cast-iron plant.
The mayor said the city has contacted affected facilities and reached out to state partners to seek resources for job seekers. Windle described a state notification process that, as he understands it, provides access to additional support when an employer reaches a 50-employee threshold; he said city staff are pursuing that route and coordinating with the state workforce office.
Windle announced a smaller job fair to be held at Aliceville City Hall, with a larger, citywide job fair planned for August. He also said he planned to meet with state workforce officials on July 15 at 9:30 a.m. to discuss placement and assistance for displaced workers.
"We will be able to try to recruit and retain some of those people that may have lost their jobs," Windle said, adding that the city will use library resources and weekly workforce assistance sessions for job-seeker intake.
Windle framed the closures as part of broader economic trends affecting similar manufacturers nationally, particularly in woodworking and casting sectors. He urged residents to watch city announcements for job fair dates and flyers and said the city is also pursuing a dedicated economic developer and a short-term task force to accelerate recruitment and retention efforts.
Next steps: the city will continue outreach to the state workforce agency and to employers, host the planned job fairs, and present the economic-development staffing proposal to the council and the industrial board for consideration.
