| Dow Chemical, formerly Union Carbide, has announced a cut-back of at least 1000 jobs.
The cut-backs will include the loss of 150 high-paying research and development jobs in Dow's South Charleston Operation.
Most of the job losses caused by the restructuring will be in the US, due to the closure of plants in Louisiana and West Virginia, two states that have been hit hard by the shrinking of the North American manufacturing industry in the past decade.
Allan Fowler, head of West Virginia Operations for Dow, says the workers are not losing their jobs. But they will have to move if they plan to keep them.
It's a two-year plan that will give the employees an option to move to Dow sites in India, the Netherlands or a couple other US locations.
"If they choose not to go someplace else and there's not any other opportunities here in West Virginia, yes, in a situation like that, they will be offered a severance package," Fowler says. The average age of those employees is 49.
Fowler said most of those impacted have masters or PhD's and make $100,000 or more per year.
The loss of the jobs is a $15 million impact on the Kanawha Valley.
There are about 450 workers still employed at Dow's manufacturing plants in South Charleston and Institute. | 
