Globalization hits home: Mylan pharmaceuticals and the Mountain State

Two weeks before Christmas Day in 2020, nearly 1,500 workers at the Viatris facility in Morgantown, West Virginia, formerly known as Mylan, were met with devastating news. 

"We were notified that the plant was going to be shuttered permanently July 31st of 2021," Joe Goudz, president of United Steel Workers (USW) Local 8-957, which represents many of the plant’s workers, told Fox News.  Viatris said in a statement that the decision to close the plant was part of a "global restructuring initiative." They insisted that the "phasing out of manufacturing operations in Morgantown was a decision the company did not take lightly in and in no way reflects upon our genuine appreciation for the commitment and work ethic of the employees" at the plant.  Many of those employees don’t know what they’ll do next. "I may leave the area. My family may leave the area," said William Hawkins, who worked at the plant for fourteen years.