The village of Ilion, New York, faces an uncertain future—and identity—in the wake of the impending closure of the manufacturing plant and the 270 jobs lost.
ILION, N.Y.—In the village of Ilion, New York, 80 miles west of the state capital in Albany, residents are mourning the departure of gunmaker Remington Arms Co. after two centuries of continuous operation.
Without fanfare, the company announced last month that the manufacturing plant would be closing its doors on March 4, 2024.
“I feel like a family member has died,” Ilion Mayor John Stephens told The Epoch Times. “My dad raised four kids on a paycheck from there for 37 years. He walked to work and carried his lunch every day.”
Mr. Stephens said no one expected the announcement a week after Thanksgiving that the plant was set to close.
On Nov. 30, at 3:26 p.m., the company notified village officials of the decision by email. The message noted that “all separations” with the village would be completed by March 18, 2024.
Likewise, the company notified its 270 employees that they would soon be out of a job.
“They brought the second and third shifts in and said they were done,” Mr. Stephens said. “They notified the first shift in person. I found out through the media. The owner’s group didn’t even contact me.”
Mr. Stephens said the company made the announcement just five months into a newly ratified employee union contract.
“To say we were shocked [by the announcement] is probably an understatement,” the mayor told Ilion’s Village Board of Trustees at a public meeting on Dec. 11.
“In my opinion, it’s unfortunate and extremely unprofessional.”
Remington Arms didn’t return messages from The Epoch Times asking for comment.
Publicly, the company attributed the plant closure in part to a hostile political climate in Albany regarding firearms production.
“I am writing to inform you that RemArms LLC has decided to close its entire operation at 14 Hoefler Avenue, NY 13357,” Remington Arms said in a letter to employees. “The company expects that operations at the Ilion facility will conclude on or about March 4, 2024.”
