Alcoa Inc.

Alcoa Inc. will lay off about 100 workers at its alumina refinery in Point Comfort, Texas, in the wake of a production cut announced in October. About 40 salaried employees will be laid off this month and 60 hourly employees by the first quarter of next year, an Alcoa spokesman said. The layoffs at Point Comfort come after Pittsburgh-based Alcoa announced in October that it would reduce production at the alumina refinery by about 25 percent, or approximately 550,000 tonnes per year, in reaction to falling aluminum demand and prices. Alcoa said it now has reduced aluminum output by about 615,000 tonnes per year, or around 15 percent, and is now producing at an annualized rate of 3.5 million tonnes, with about 1 million tonnes of smelter capacity idled. The Point Comfort refinery is part of Alcoa World Alumina & Chemicals (AWAC), a global alliance between Alcoa and Alumina Ltd., in which Alcoa holds a 60-percent stake.