Commerce plant reduces workforce

COMMERCE - Almost 70 jobs are being eliminated at Mt. Vernon Mills in Commerce.The jobs will be moved to the company's Alto plant.

"40 of them (employees) are going to go with the machinery and then we expect the other people that work here to be able to get jobs at Alto too," Plant Manager Johnny Klugh said.

That will leave only about 30 workers at the Commerce facility - which manufactures yarn.

The action will consolidate some of Mt. Vernon's operations - and is a cost-cutting move.

"Mt. Vernon is a real strong company and continues to do right well, but they have to be doing everything they can to cut costs," Klugh said.

Last summer, the Alto plant announced a 100-worker layoff, with a company spokesman saying it was getting out of the yarn business, while noting that the yarn division at the Alto plant made up less than half the workforce.