Over 100 Gannett employees to lose jobs when Sterling Heights facility closes
Layoffs will begin July 7 and continue through July for a total of 109 employees at the Gannett Publishing Services production facility in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
The Macomb County facility prints the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News and about 30 other newspapers from Michigan and Ohio. The Free Press reported on the decision in January, saying that those newspapers' production will be moved to other facilities. The building was previously sold with a lease to Gannett, the Free Press said.
The details of the layoff were related in a WARN Act notice filed May 1 with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, also known as the WARN Act, requires companies going through mass layoffs and/or site closures to issue advance public notice to the state's labor department, should that step meet certain requirements for the size of the company or the number of people involved.
In that letter, Gannett said it is permanently closing the production facility at 6200 Metropolitan Parkway, with 109 production employees facing a permanent layoff. The company said the layoffs will take place from July 1 through January, but most will happen on or about August 4.
The positions involved include press operator, materials handler, engineer, packaging manager and journeyman electrician. Some of the affected employees are represented by unions.
