Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

HOPKINTON -- The Garrity Industries flashlight plant in Ashaway will close in April, putting more than 50 people out of work.

A spokesman for Duracell, Garrity's corporate owner, says operations in Ashaway and Madison, Conn., will be consolidated at the company's Bethel, Conn., facility.

The spokesman says more than 50 employees at the Ashaway facility and 28 in Madison will be laid off over the next six to nine months.

Garrity Industries was founded in 1967, and in 2006 was bought by battery maker Duracell, a division of Procter & Gamble Co.

Spokesman Kurt Iverson says some employees will be offered jobs at other Duracell locations and some will get severance packages.

Westerly resident Carol Young, a Garrity employee since June 2000, says workers were ``upset and angry.''

The Associated Press with information from The Westerly Sun.

Comments

Brogan Dunfee said:

Another blow to RI industry.

Link | July 11, 2008 11:17 AM
Report Abuse

---

Bob said:

Thank You Govenor,

Great job, soon there will be nothing left in this state. It will make a nice wildlife preserve.

Link | July 11, 2008 2:49 PM
Report Abuse

---

Concerned Citizen said:

Bob,

You need to thank the members of our State Legislature who have been giving away the store. They are the ones who set the excessive entitlement programs and pushed through the gold-plated contracts and then raised taxes to business hostile levels.

Link | July 13, 2008 12:38 AM
Report Abuse

---

Leave a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.