Report Says Rayovac Plans To Close Fennimore and Portage Plants

A report says that Energizer and Rayovac plants in Fennimore and Portage will close. The report comes from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and they say they will fight plans by Energizer to outsource good-paying jobs. In the report, company officials said the plants in Fennimore and Portage would close in the next 12 to 24 months. According to a release, the company told workers and Teamster representatives it plans to offshore American manufacturing jobs and send others to a nonunion facility in North Carolina. 600 workers at the two plants are members of the union. The plants produce batteries for Energizer’s retail brands, including Eveready and Rayovac, as well as specialty batteries for hearing aids. The Rayovac plant in Fennimore has been in operation since 1970.