Corning To Hire 20 Workers

CANTON - The Canton Corning plant is poised to hire about 20 union workers and has already brought back most of its laid-off hourly employees to meet an increasing demand for its products.

"It's a very good time," said Anthony M. Badlam, president of Local 1026 of United Steelworkers. "Especially with General Motors, it's a positive thing to get people employed."

An improving business climate is behind the hires.

"The reason is a new mirror contract along with upbeat customer forecasts in the semiconductor product lines," Corning spokeswoman Kelli C. Hopp-Michlosky said in an email. "Both of these developments have necessitated hiring additional personnel to support these business opportunities."

Including the recalls, the plant employs 121 union workers, Mr. Badlam said. In March, Corning put the total number of employees at the plant at 145.

Penski, which has offices in Potsdam, Ogdensburg, Massena and Watertown is handling the screening and testing of applicants for immediate entry-level production and maintenance positions at the plant on McAdoo Road in the town of DeKalb.

Completed applications are due by Aug. 13.

The good news comes after a disappointing two years, when the Canton Corning plant endured job losses of both hourly and salaried workers, along with temporary shutdowns.

The production startup of Polarcor, a product transferred to the Canton plant from a closed Corning factory in Danville, Va., earlier this year also resulted in a few jobs.

Among its other products, the Canton plant makes high-purity fused silica, which is used for lenses in machines that make semiconductor chips for computers and other electronic products. The factory also produces calcium fluoride crystals, used in the semiconductor industry, and telescope mirrors.

The Canton plant is known for its aerospace products, including windows for space vehicles.