MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The United Steelworkers Union is continuing to contact companies about the opportunity to take over the Viatris facility in Morgantown as layoffs are set to begin this month.
Viatris, the company formed by the merger of Mylan Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer subsidiary Upjohn, will begin reducing operations at its Chesnut Ridge facility at the end of the month, directly impacting 1,400 jobs.
The company cited plans to reduce overall costs by $1 billion by 2024, in which Viatris will cut 20% of its workforce and close or sell 15% of its manufacturing facilities.
“Now, it comes down to what’s our next option,” union representative J.D. Wilson said Thursday on MetroNews “Talkline.” “As I’ve said from the beginning, we are not going to stop fighting. You can close, but now we’re going to fight to bring someone else in there.”
J.D. Wilson, United Steel Workers Union, speaks with @HoppyKercheval about the final agreement with Vitaris over the closure of the former Mylan pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Morgantown. WATCH: https://t.co/yCFQ3nm85Y pic.twitter.com/7wU842zSZe
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) July 8, 2021
Government leaders have committed to help without a resolution to leave the facility open. Workers have held rallies in Charleston and Washington, D.C. calling on lawmakers to act.
“If we can get somebody in there, that’s a workforce that has an understanding of pharmaceuticals,” Wilson said. “They do their job to perfection. Mylan has not had recalls because of what these people have done.”
Viatris announced last week it had reached a deal with the United Steelworkers Union workers regarding separation pay. The union represents 850 workers at the site.