Alcoa Intalco Works Aluminium smelter’s layoffs and curtailments conclude

Alcoa Intalco Works aluminium smelter curtailment has been concluded according to workers, many of which were laid off in the process.

The Pittsburgh-headquartered Alcoa Corporation declared the planned curtailment and layoffs in April’20 specifying declining market conditions and at that particular time, the company estimated 700 workers would be laid off at the Intalco facility beginning in June’20 according to the company’s WARN notification to the Washington State Department of Employment Security.

However, as per the 9^th September press release from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, 621 were ultimately laid off.

A rally in support of the Intalco Works facility and workers was held in Ferndale outside of Pioneer Park the day after the curtailment was announced and many speakers were raised their voice against aluminium product producers in China. The speakers also targeted and said: “Subsidized Chinese aluminium production was responsible for the decline in aluminium prices.”

Following the announcement of curtailment, there were reports that Canadian aluminium product importers were shipping increased amounts of aluminium products into the US tariff-free as a result of trade agreements entered into between the US, Canada and Mexico last year. The US government was lobbied by 2 of the 3 US aluminium product producers to reinstate tariffs on aluminium product imports from Canada, blaming Canadian imports for a drop in the price of primary aluminium. Last month, the US government agreed to instate a new 10% levy on aluminium imports from Canada, although Alcoa opposed the tariffs.

Alcoa operates 2 smelters in Canada and is a partner in a third.

Alcoa officials were quoted in the Wall Street Journal arguing the duties on Canadian imports do not address excess aluminium product production in China which they claim is responsible for driving down global aluminium prices.

In February’20, the European Union opened an anti-dumping investigation into aluminium extrusions originating from China and then last month opened another regarding flat-rolled products from China.

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