PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) – Bayer Corporation once proudly displayed its name on a neon sign atop Mt. Washington. Now, the company says it will close its Robinson offices and eliminate more than 600 jobs.
Bayer has been in Robinson for decades. It started there as Mobay Chemical in the 50’s. The name Bayer returned in 1994 and the U.S. headquarters was moved to New Jersey in 2012. At one time Mobay employed several thousand people here. The 600 jobs to be cut will be phased out over the next two years.
“This is a difficult day for our employees and their families given the proud history that Robinson has played,” said Bayer spokesman Christopher Loder.
Loder says about 1,300 Bayer employees at facilities in O’Hara, Indianola, and Saxonburg are not affected by today’s announcement. Neither are about 700 workers at Covestro, the company that was spun off from Bayer several years ago. Its headquarters is adjacent to Bayer along the Parkway West in Robinson.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald hopes many of the employees losing their jobs will be able to find employment with growing companies here. “Some of the folks that have the skills at Bayer and want to remain in Pittsburgh, they’ll probably be able to do that,” said Fitzgerald.
As for Bayer’s philanthropic role in the region, the company has committed to maintain at current levels its funding of non-profits here for 2019 and 2020.
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