KEARNY, N.J. -- The Western Electric Kearny Works, which is in the process of phasing out 4,000 jobs, has been sold by AT&T Technologies to a New York holding company, officials said.
The firm is the largest employer in Hudson County.
The 3 million-square-foot, 144-acre facility on Central Avenue in Kearny was purchased Monday by Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., a private New York City firm, which plans to employ up to 6,000 workers at the site.
The company plans to develop the 59-year-old property into a complex of warehouses, distribution, research and light manufacturing facilities to be leased by River Terminal Developement, the company's real estate subsidiary.
The company will make efforts to give hiring preference to the nearly 1,000 workers left at the plant who have not yet found new jobs, said Frank Kobola, vice president of River Terminal.
Kearny Works announced in January it would be closing, triggering appeals from state and local officials who wanted the company to reconsider its decision.
Western Electric, however, said its older plants are underutilized and too costly to maintain. In addition to the Kearny plant, the company is also closing three other facilities around the country.
The sales agreement for the site is expected to be signed within the next three months. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
The actual phasing out of jobs beganlast fall, with 650 employees relocating to other AT&T jobs in the state and nationwide, 500 employees retiring and 450 others being laid off.