Company to move, cuts approx. 375 jobs

SILVER CREEK, N.Y. (WIVB) - Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. is closing its Silver Creek and Dunkirk manufacturing facilities. The company says the closures eliminate approximately 375 hourly and salaried workers.

There are more than 200 workers at Petri Baking Products in Silver Creek who will lose their jobs when the plant is shut down in April. Petri is owned by Ralcorp, which is based in St. Louis. The company makes private-label cookies that are owned by grocery stores across the country.

The rest of the layoffs come from the closing of The Carriage House Company, the plant in Dunkirk, which will also close in April.

The company says the closures are due to "a re-allocation of manufacturing to maximize capacity and capabilities at other facilities within the United States."

Local officials say they believe the jobs are being moved to Kentucky and fear it could have a ripple effect on the local economy.

Dunkirk Mayor Anthony Dolce said, "These are people that not only support the community in numerous different ways, but they also support our local business community as well. And you never know how that could have a further effect down the road."

Union president Tom Dickerson said, "It's not like we've lost money here or it's the 'big, bad union' thing, it was a corporate decision. They've decided to expand in Kentucky. They have a $10 million grant over the next 10 years and that's what they've decided to do."

Ralcorp Holdings delivered Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notices to employees at the facilities Thursday.