Rural Economic Disaster
Recovery Resource Center
Recovery Resource Center
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Rural Economic Disaster Recovery Resource Center |
WHAT NOW? WHERE TO TURN? YOU’RE NOT ALONE PREPARE NOW Disaster recovery |
YOU'RE NOT ALONE: Abbeville, Alabama: recovery from textile plant closing |
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The authors gratefully acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Stephanie Blankenship, Director of the Henry County Economic Development Authority, Mayor Rhett Taylor, and many other members of the Abbeville / Henry County community
Economic disaster hits Abbeville, Alabama:
The textile plant--in different forms of ownership--had been in operation for over 50 years, providing employment for generations of local residents. Since opening in 1952, the plant had expanded with about ten physical facility expansions, to reach 550,000 square feet on 49 acres of land. At peak, in the 1990s, the plant employed 1300 as a manual sewing operation. Aware of global trends, new management invested heavily in modernizing the facility as the most automated textile plant in the U.S. This also resulted in a decrease in employment to 800. Even this did not prove efficient for the marketplace, though, in the face of growing global competition. The plant was closed and equipment sold off to foreign facilities. As of April 2008, 133 people were still employed in the plant, mainly in the warehouse section of the plant--which had been transformed into a temporary distribution center for shipments of imported textile products. Families lost their incomes and insurance--and in many cases also their retirement savings in the form of WestPoint Stevens stock. Half the factory workforce had been employed for over 15 years, with little preparation for other employment. Many of the employees--confident of continued employment at the plant--did not possess even a high school degree. The closure to date has cost the city approximately 30 percent of its tax base. Despite the pleas of local economic developers, there are no immediate corporate plans to market or redevelop the massive facility. "Abbeville isn't even a dot on their map," locals complain about the New York City-based owners.
The community responded quickly with a local job fair: a joint initiative of the Henry County Economic Development Authority, the local Wallace Community College, major regional employers, and others. Close to 400 residents attended. Partly as a result of this job fair, retraining programs, and personal counseling, some residents have been able to say that the plant closure ended up being the best thing that ever happened to them. They ended up enhancing their education, securing better jobs, or opening their own businesses. Many other residents, however, do not count themselves nearly so lucky. Community members have experienced every emotion that can be found in any other disaster situation: anger over the corporation's treatment of their community, grief for their situation, compassion for one another, etc. The community has worked with local churches, mental health facilities, and faith-based outreach programs to educate residents on mental health concerns and provide services for the many residents who need these services. The community also tries to educate local workers on their rights and options. Federal programs, for example, may provide up to two years unemployment compensation for workers who have lost their job due to NAFTA or other forms of foreign competition. This is a continuing case study, as the community of Abbeville continues to seek solutions, options, and opportunities to this major economic disaster.
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