GT Advanced Technologies workers to lose jobs at Apple plant right before Christmas

More than 700 Arizona workers for GT Advanced Technologies will start losing their jobs just before Christmas, according to a notification sent to the city of Mesa Thursday.

The bankrupt Apple sapphire glass supplier is closing its factories in Mesa and Salem, Massachusetts.

In a letter to the Mesa City Council, a GTAT executive said the Arizona workers are being notified of the job cuts and plant closure. The permanent job cuts will start happening on Dec. 15, according to the letter from GTAT Vice President Linda Luman.

“This mass layoff is expected to be permanent,” Luman wrote to the council members.

GTAT is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is being delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Apple owns the Mesa plant where GTAT has furnaces. They were supposed to make sapphire glass for iPhones and other products.

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge hearing the case prompted the company to notify communities impacted by the plant closures and job cuts.

The company said in an earlier court filing it was cutting 890 workers at its two factories.

The letter to Mesa says 524 production workers will be cut, as well 108 technical staff, 70 managers and 25 administrative employees.

The state approved big tax breaks and incentives for Apple to locate the plant in Mesa.

Mike Sunnucks writes about residential and commercial real estate, government, law, sports business and workplace issues.