by The Roundhill Group which bought Remington Arms in the bankruptcy auction tentatively plans to restart production at the Ilion plant March 1st. According to WKTV Channel 2 Utica (NY), maintenance will begin on the plant in mid-February in preparation for the March 1 restart.
Roundhill Group partner, Richmond Italia, said the company plans to bring back 200 employees by the first day of production.
Italia says the company is working with the state to increase jobs at the Ilion facility.
“We’re deep in negotations with the state, trying to come up with some sort of compromise to build a new facility,” said Italia. “If we are able to come to terms and we do build a new facility, we will consolidate everything in New York, which will bring the company back to 800 to 1,000 employees, eventually.”
Roundhill Group obtained their Federal Firearms License in early January.
A story in the Utica Times-Telegram indicates that they may have some negotiating to do with United Mine Workers of America Local 717 which represents the workers at the Ilion plant.
Remington workers are represented by United Mine Workers of America Local 717, and union members expressed confusion about the offers they received in December to begin work at the plant again in February.
The offers said they would receive the same salaries they had been making, but there would be some changes to the health plan and workers would be employed “at will,” which could deny them due process if they were terminated for any reason.
Phil Smith, UMWA director of communications and governmental affairs, said at the time that there had been no talks with Roundhill and that companies could not legally ask union members at a facility where there is a union contract to work without that contract as a condition of employment.
Italia said Friday that the owners are in talks with the union and “hope to come to a mutual beneficial agreement for all parties involved.”
He said the offer to the employees was not conditioned on waiting for these negotiations to be complete.
“I understand people need jobs to survive,” he said. “I’ve been there, and I sympathize. We are willing to risk reopening the plant, even while in negotiations.”
As to which firearm they will start producing first, Shooting Illustrated reports that it will be the 870 shotgun.
In an aside, there is a report that the lawsuit in Connecticut against Remington, Soto v. Remington, is still scheduled to go to trial in September. I don’t see how it can as it appears that none of the pre-bankruptcy legal liabilities were assumed by any of the bidders in the bankruptcy auction.
Relocate to gun friendly country. This is a no-brainer.
Opening a gun factory in NY doesn’t seem like a good business plan. I would have pulled out the machinery and shipped it to Mississippi. Even when Remington was in business, Illion looked abandoned. No union problems either.
The lawsuit’s damages will likely be limited to the amount of liability insurance available. This is typical when a company goes bankrupt.