A case study in loss of American manufacturing... closing of Syracuse China

[Muttocracy]

I have a few pieces of Syracuse China that I got at a thrift shop a few years ago when I moved back to NY and they're my favorites. Yesterday I was googling to find out if they have a store in Syracuse so I could go there the next time I'm in town. They just announced the plant is shutting down. :( I know it's a small number of jobs compared to big industries, but it's one more case study in American manufacturing and labor. There's also insult in to injury in that Libbey (who owns the company) will still call stuff made overseas "Syracuse China" to profit from the brand name. (I know, a little irony that it's called China in the first place.)

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Syracuse China to close factory after 137 years
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/d18b6cbee37dcbfc9bc916d58866ad13.htm
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Workers reflect on prospects after their plant closes
Union will try to sweeten severance; experts say CNY factories are hiring
Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Charley Hannagan, Staff writer

Sitting at the bar Wednesday afternoon at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3146, mourning the loss of his job at Syracuse China, Tim Loucks got a call from his boss.

Could he work overtime?

"I said, no, I'm going to be here with my friends. I said call me Friday, though," said Loucks, 40, of North Syracuse,

He has worked at the factory for almost 20 years.

The day after Libbey Inc. told 275 Syracuse China employees that it was closing the plant by the end of March, the factory continues to work overtime making dinnerware for restaurants.

It's just another irony for workers who've watched Libbey import unfinished china from factories overseas to finish it at the factory, on Court Street in Lyncourt.

While workers said they thought it was inevitable the company would close the plant, they were shocked at the announcement late Tuesday. After 137 years, the company is abandoning the manufacture of dinnerware in the United States and switching to importing goods from factories overseas. It also is closing a California distribution center that employs 30 people.

"We were working overtime last week to build (inventory in) the warehouse. Saturday, I worked 12 hours overtime," said Michael Hood, 34, of Baldwinsville, who has worked at Syracuse China for six and a half years.

more at link... http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/syracuse_china_workers_wonder.html

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"You can't separate it from Syracuse" (about plates being used all over the world)
http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1228989456288550.xml&coll=1
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Family business coming to end
Generations of kin worked at Syracuse China, which closes local plant in March.
http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1229248601283610.xml&coll=1
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[blondeatlast]

1. Syracuse, Pfaltzgraff, so many potteries and glass mfgs.

It's really sad--the stuff from China just isn't anywhere near the originals.

[madrchsod]

2. i`m slowly replacing all my "stuff" that was made in china

with products that used to be made in the usa...i have found quite a bit of stuff on ebay and thrift shops. still looking for a good toaster!

[Muttocracy]

7. I'm trying to do that as well. It's astounding how much in made in China

When I was a kid made in Taiwan or made in China was on the occasional plastic toy.

[Mojorabbit]

3. I love their old

restaurant style china. My favorite chili bowls are made by them. What a shame.

[eilen]

4. yes, it is tough

all these factories that built our city are going. Carrier Corp, Marcellus Casket, GE, now Syracuse China and probably soon will be New Process Gear.-- Even Nestle from up in Fulton was sad. I remember when they moved all of Brystol-Meyer's manufacturing to Puerto Rico and closed Learbury's (suit maker) -- auctioning off all their equipment.

Carrier moving to China was particularly devastating. Lots of jobs lost. Some companies really help shape a region and it is almost like an amputation when they leave. This will be like that. Syracuse China is part of us.

[Vinca]

5. Can anyone 'splain to me how our economy is going to improve

when all are jobs are shipped overseas and we have no money to buy the stuff that's shipped back? Re the poster looking for the toaster. Let me know if you find 2. I daydream about finding a "new old" toaster made in this country.

[DainBramaged]

6. I have a BUNCH of Syracuse china I bought YEARS ago, GREAT stuff

bowls that defy breaking, been putting them in the dishwasher for years and they aren't dishwasher proof, in the microwave, they don't fade. Nothing like it since. I even gave four over-sized dinner plates to some friends as a gift when they got a house together because they liked them when they came over for dinner. Picked it up at a shop in the Village in NY that sold restaurent supply and used restaurent equipment. Shop is gone now.

[Muttocracy]

8. It is great stuff.

It's hard to find plates with perfectly smooth bases (no rough spots that can scratch things) but these plates are perfectly completely glazed. I don't know if all their stuff was like that but I love these plates. I'm a complete klutz with dishes (thus why I wanted to get some more from them) but I haven't even chipped any of these plates.

I looked this weekend and the thrift store has a few big plates - might have to go grab some.