Alcoa fires workers over alleged slowdown

Ten workers have been fired at Alcoa Inc.’s aluminum smelting and fabrication operation near Evansville and another 20 have been disciplined after the company said they purposely slowed production.

Managers claimed the workers were putting in only modest effort, and that data from machinery in the plant showed production slowed from the same time last year, according to the Evansville Courier & Press.

The production problems appear to have ended after the disciplinary actions, the company said.

The United Steelworkers union blamed the slowdown on the company’s failure to maintain equipment, and said it would conduct its own investigation.