Houze Glass Co in Point Marion, Fayette Country, shut its doors this week, putting 57 people out of work. The 102-year-old business, situated on the bank of the Monongahela River, is the latest in a series of regional glassmaking operations to close, following Anchor Glass Container Corp in south Connellsville, Glenshaw Glass in Shaler and the Lenox plant in Mt Pleasant, Westmoreland County. "Everyone knew it was coming.. business was slow," said Brenda Murray, vice president of Local 547 of the United Steelworkers Union, representing the workers. Murray also said workers remain concerned about the status of the company's pension fund, which she said was underfunded by around $200,000 or more. The firm began in 1902 as a glassware manufacturer, but later branched into silkscreen printing and decorating of ceramic/glass mugs and tableware.
