The U.S. Borax mining operation in Boron will lay off 160 hourly workers in mid-February. Some Boron residents fear the layoffs will put the town of 2,700 on the fast track to being a ghost town.
Susan Keef, spokeswoman for Rio Tinto Minerals, the Denver-based company that owns the mine, said the specifics of the layoffs have not been finalized.
The U.S. Borax open pit mining operation harvests minerals from one of the richest borate deposits on the planet. It is California's largest borate processing plant, and a major employer for the town of Boron. It employs about 800 people.
"We have not identified any names, " Keef said Monday. "But the cuts will come from the hourly workforce."
Word of the upcoming layoffs concerns folks like Russ Holland.
"This town lives off of Borax plant" he said.
Kern County District 2 Supervisor Don Maben said not everyone who works at the plant lives in Boron, and those laid off likely will not be local residents.
"These are the most recent hires,'' he Maben said. ''The most recent hires have been coming from out of town."
However, Maben acknowledges a loss of employees means a hit for the local economy.
At the 20 Mule Cafe, employees say Borax workers come every day for lunch, and lately the conversation is about the layoffs.
"There's a lot of families that work out here for Borax," said waitress Victoria Espindola. "and I feel for the families, 'cause I know a lot of them have kids"
Longtime patron said Grace Davies said this is disappointing news.
"We want Boron to grow and we're afraid people might move out if they lay off."
Russ Holland says almost every one in town has a member of their family working at Borax.
"There's a man that's in there working, for the hourly wages, he's got a family to support that's why he's there. He's not there for the fun and games."
