This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Fifteen Kennecott employees were laid off Tuesday in cost reductions resulting from the April 2013 landslide at the Bingham Canyon Mine.
The 15 workers were in salaried positions, said Kennecott spokesman Kyle Bennett. No hourly employees or union employees were affected.
Another 25 employees were offered other jobs in the company as part of the restructuring, and Kennecott eliminated 30 positions that had been vacant.
Laid-off employees are eligible for severance and employee assistance, according to a press release from the company.
"It is always difficult when jobs are lost because of the direct impact it has on individuals and families," a statement reads. "Kennecott is taking great care to reduce impacts to employees with the decisions being made."
In April, 165 million tons of rock tumbled into Salt Lake County's Bingam Canyon Mine, destroying equipment and shutting down operations temporarily.
The slide caused 2013 production to drop nearly 30 percent from what was expected, the company reported in November. Cleanup remains underway, and the company expects full operations to resume by 2016, Bennett said.
Kennecott employs about 2,100 people in Utah, Bennett said.