MILWAUKEE — After operating for more than 100 years on the North Side of Milwaukee, Master Lock is set to close its factory in the city for good.
At least 400 people who currently work at the facility, near North 32nd and West Center Sts., were told their jobs were ending by the end of March 2024.
Of the more than 400 positions being cut, 330 are union jobs.
Master Lock confirmed it is moving production somewhere else.
Many employees, who now have less than 10 months to find a new job, live in the neighborhood. The area has long struggled to attract more businesses and investments.
Jennifer Potts said the factory’s closure is going to have a big, negative impact on the area. Potts is the executive director of the Business Improvement District that serves the neighborhood.
“Regardless of what anyone believes about Center Street and Milwaukee’s North Side, this is a tight-knit community,” she said. “We have gatherings, and we support each other. There are a lot of committed long-term residents who choose to stay here.”
Potts is concerned about what future job prospects will look like for factory employees. She said she wants to focus on finding them jobs nearby, so they can continue living in the neighborhood.
“Not everybody wants to travel 15, 20, 30 minutes or more to have employment,” Potts said. “Not everyone has a car. We recognize it is a necessary reality for a lot of individuals, but for the people that are employed here, that live in this community, they probably want to stay in this community because they selected this community.”
Potts is pushing to get expanded job training programs in manufacturing, construction and the trades, in her neighborhood. She said the economic success of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods has a far-reaching impact on the entire region.
Potts used her own experience to start her own work-education program. She runs a nail technology training center on Center Street.
“We have a population here that is in need of jobs and job training, affordable housing and things of that nature,” said Potts. “We all need to step up. We need city and community leaders, as well as business owners.”
Master Lock said it will work with UAW Local 469, the union representing the most workers at the facility, to ensure a smooth transition.
“We want to express our deepest gratitude to our entire Milwaukee team and the greater Milwaukee community for their dedication and commitment to the company,” said a company spokesperson in a statement. “This decision is not a reflection of the skills, performance or commitment of the Milwaukee workforce and it was not made lightly. Rather, this is an opportunity to continue to enhance our supply chain resilience, maximize potential growth of the business and maintain our competitiveness into the future.”
The padlock company was founded in Milwaukee in 1921. At its peak in the 1980s and 19990s, Master Lock employed 1,300 workers at its Milwaukee factory.