Siemens closes, 43 IBEW jobs lost

A Northeast Portland electric panel factory owned by the German multinational Siemens terminated its workforce and closed permanently June 30. The layoffs of the 43 assembly workers, members of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 48, took place in stages in June.

The shop — at 6427 NE 59th Place just off Columbia Boulevard — has been union-represented since at least the 1980s. Half the members have 20 to 25 years with the company, said Local 48 Union Representative Nancy Cary.

Thanks to a provision negotiated in the most recent contract, Cary said workers will get one week’s severance pay for every year of service, up to 16. After the closure announcement, the company also agreed to pay for three months of health care benefits.

Cary said Siemens has been regarded as a good union employer; the closure is a response to the construction downturn. Production of electric panels will be shifted to Siemens plants in California and Texas.

Siemens’ Energy and Automation division has 10,000 employees at 28 locations in the United States.

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