Layoffs begin

The economic malaise hovered in the crisp morning air early Friday as workers trudged to their cars during a shift change at Invista’s Waynesboro plant on the South River.

For some, the walk was a long last mile. Invista announced in December that 210 company workers would be laid off by Monday.

“At one time you could not get a parking place out here,” said Kevin Humphreys, of Stuarts Draft, a 20-year employee. “Now it’s ... 15 cars.”

Some Invista workers already have worked their last day while others will remain until the fibers maker completes a move to idle nylon production, company spokeswoman Jodie Stutzman said.

The company plans to continue Lycra and spandex production in Waynesboro, Stutzman said.

“The mood is terrible inside,” said Humphreys, who does not work in nylon. “There’s a lot of depressed people.”

Invista has been rocked by the housing market collapse. That has produced a falloff in carpet demand, which prompted the company’s decision to idle nylon production.

Some encouraging news amid the gloom: The National Association of Realtors reported that pending housing sales increased 6.7 percent and existing home sales increased 6.5 percent in December. That could trigger revived carpet demand and, in turn, restart Invista’s nylon line.

“Hopefully, within the next year, it will get going again,” said 19-year employee O.B. Anderson, of Staunton.

Anderson estimated about 30 workers would be finished after their shifts Friday. Other workers were still uncertain about their futures as layoff negotiations continued, he said.

Invista officials in December said they expected the nylon operation to remain idle for at least six months. An undisclosed number of contract workers also were to be laid off as part of the restructuring.

Under federal law, companies with 100 workers or more are required to notify employees 60 days in advance in the event of mass layoffs, defined as a third or more of the workforce, or a shutdown. Invista filed warning notices last month with all 637 company workers at the Waynesboro plant because, officials said, it had not yet determined which workers would receive pink slips.

“Invista continues to manage its business in a manner that will help meet the current economic challenges and emerge from this downturn in a position to compete successfully,” Stutzman said. “We continue to appreciate the manner in which our Waynesboro employees have managed through the transition thus far, operating the plant safely and reliably.”

In addition, 132 contract workers from The Mundy Companies, a Houston-based services provider, were laid off at the Invista plant late last year.

Stutzman said in December that the number of employees and contractors at the Waynesboro plant would “still exceed 500.”

Waynesboro is not the only place hit hard by Invista layoffs:

* Last month, the company announced that it would close a nylon facility in Wilton, United Kingdom, putting 300 people out of work.

* In December, Invista announced that it would lay off 50 people at its Athens, Ga., facility.

* In November, an Invista contractor serving its Victoria, Texas, facility announced the layoffs of 60 people.

* At Invista’s Millhaven plant in Kingston, Ontario, the company announced it would lay off about 100 workers and idle production.

* In October, the company announced it would lay off 400 of 500 workers at its plant in Seaford, Del., a town of about 6,000 people.

Even Invista’s parent company, Koch Industries, has felt the sting. A Koch executive told The Wall Street Journal in November that earnings at the Wichita, Kan., company had fallen by 50 percent in 2008. Koch last month announced the layoffs of 150 employees at its headquarters, according to the Wichita Business Journal.

The effects of Invista and housing’s struggles have been acutely felt here. Waynesboro’s unemployment has reached a 15-year high of 7.9 percent, reflecting layoffs at Invista, Mohawk Industries and elsewhere, along with the closing of the Waynesboro Valley Building Supply store.

Staff writer Tony Gonzalez contributed to this report.