GALENA, Illinois- Galena Mayor Terry Renner, confirmed to WQAD that Honeywell is closing its Galena operations by the end of the year.
According to the Mayor, “it came as a complete surprise, the city was blindsided”.
There are around 50 blue-collar workers and six administrators at the Galena operations. He says that number is down from more than 100 workers from years past.
The workers are not union represented.
Honeywell has a sizable presence in the city but it is not the city’s biggest employer.
Mayor Terry Renner believes Signcraft is the biggest manufacturer in the city and that the Galena hospital, Midwest Medical Center, is the biggest employer.
Honeywell also closed operations in nearby Warren, Illinois, years ago.
The City has reached out to the Illinois Commerce Department to find out if the Illinois Rapid Response team will be assisting displaced workers in Galena with job training and other options.
