New Era's Derby facility on the brink

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Hundred of jobs at a hometown company are hanging by a thread. The New Era Cap Company could be forced to shut down its Derby facility.

It’s a 90 year history of making caps here in WNY. Officials for New Era Cap have decided they're going to consolidate all of their domestic cap operations into one place. Either here in Derby, NY or Alabama.

The news struck like a bolt of lightning, so shocking that New Era officials closed all three of their plants and the flagship store in Buffalo to allow workers time to take it all in.

“Shock and worry, many of the people that are in the Derby facility actually work in the Buffalo plant and when that plant was folded into the Derby facility and they're a little nervous to say the least,” said Dave Palmer of Communication Workers of America, the union that the plant workers are members of.

"We’ve seen over 500 stores close this year creating a big gap in capacity needs to service the market,” explained Pete Augustine, New Era Cap Presient.

It's going to be a tough call for the workers and the union, since the Communication Workers of America represent the workers of both plants, but a decision won’t be reached till sometime next year.

>>To read the official statement from New Era Cap, click here.