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Commercial laundry folds up plans to close plant
By Dan McCue
Staff Writer
Consider it, perhaps, a Christmas season miracle.The National Linen & Uniform Service, which had announced the impending closure of its North Charleston plant, has reconsidered the move and informed its 86 workers that they will have jobs in 2006.
The workers had been facing the prospect of being laid off Jan. 8, when the company planned to consolidate operations with its existing plant in Savannah.
Representatives of National Service Industries Inc. of Doraville, Ga., confirmed the decision to keep the plant open but declined to comment on it. A written statement from the company was anticipated but was not available before this issue of the Business Journal went to press.
Harris Reynor, southeast regional director for the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees, which represents the majority of workers at the North Charleston plant, said he was told of the company’s decision but had learned nothing of the rationale behind it.
“All I know is they evidently told their employees of the decision Dec. 15,” Reynor said. “Regardless of the reasons why they have chosen to do this, it’s a very good piece of good news for these workers before the holidays.
“Hopefully it bodes well for the long-term survival of the North Charleston plant,” Reynor added.
The National Linen & Uniform Service has served Charleston restaurants, hotels and other businesses as their commercial laundry service for nearly 40 years.
The closing of the company’s facility on Chateau Avenue in North Charleston’s historic business district was announced
Nov. 9, and company officials repeatedly refused to comment further on the move.
“We believe that we can best serve our customers through this consolidation which will allow us to better utilize our resources to provide quality service at an affordable price,” company President Ed Ringer said in a written statement at the time. “We will work diligently during this consolidation to ensure that there is no disruption of service to our customers.”
Reynor said at that point the closure of the plant was so close to reality that the union had already negotiated a severance package for the apparently soon-to-be unemployed workers.
The package included a two-month extension of medical benefits for the workers beyond the date of the plant closure and a severance payout for union members based upon the individual worker’s years of service with the company, Reynor said.
In recent months, National Service Industries Inc. has closed a number of unprofitable plants and consolidated services where possible. On the same day it announced the closing of the North Charleston plant, the company also announced the closing of another facility in Wilmington, N.C.
National Linen & Uniform Service opened for business in Charleston in 1967 and built its Chateau Avenue plant in 1973. The plant was built with $1.1 million in bonds guaranteed by Charleston County.
Dan McCue is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dmccue@charlestonbusiness.com.
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