WE Soda Restructures Wyoming Operations, Cuts 48 Nonunion Jobs

Soda ash producer WE Soda has announced a reduction of 48 jobs at its southwest Wyoming trona operations, citing a need for greater management efficiency following its recent acquisition of Genesis Alkali, County 17 reports.

The job reductions, which include 32 salaried management positions and 16 contract jobs, were described as part of a post-acquisition restructuring effort aimed at eliminating redundancies and streamlining operations.

“Post-acquisition, consolidations were needed for some salaried management positions to achieve efficiency, reduce redundancy, and strengthen the existing hourly workforce,” said WE Soda Vice President of Human Relations JoAnna DeWald.

Notably, union-represented hourly employees were not affected by the layoffs.

The cuts follow an earlier round of 30 layoffs by Genesis Alkali late last year, which impacted several newly hired workers. However, according to United Steel Workers Local 13214 President Marshal Cummings, WE Soda has since rehired some of those union workers.

Cummings described the union’s relationship with WE Soda as “extremely positive”, adding that the company has been focused on improving management, equipment, and safety standards.

WE Soda now employs approximately 900 workers in the region, according to Cummings.

WE Soda, a London-based company, completed its $1.4 billion acquisition of Genesis Alkali on February 28. This purchase included:

• The Westvaco underground trona mine and related processing facilities.

• The Granger solution mining facility in western Sweetwater County.

The acquisition has positioned WE Soda as the world’s largest producer of soda ash and the only one producing 100% natural soda ash, which is widely used in glass manufacturing, baking soda production, and various industrial applications.

WE Soda is currently integrating Genesis Alkali’s operations with Project West, a multi-billion-dollar trona solution-mine expansion project near Granger, Wyoming.

By combining Genesis Alkali’s existing infrastructure with WE Soda’s engineering expertise, the company aims to reduce development costs and risks associated with the expansion.

Southwest Wyoming contains the world’s largest known deposit of trona, and the region’s trona and soda ash industries have been growing steadily. The industry employs more than 2,000 workers, compared to approximately 4,100 direct jobs in Wyoming’s coal sector, according to the Wyoming Mining Association.

In recent years, the state has provided financial support for workforce training in the sector. In 2022, Genesis Alkali received $665,000 from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services to train over 300 workers as part of efforts to revive the Granger production facility, ultimately adding around 100 jobs.