State Unemployment Nearly Steady

State labor officials report a 9.3 percent unemployment rate for April, almost unchanged from the previous two months. State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says the numbers suggest to him Georgia's labor market "may be beginning to stabilize."

Meanwhile, in northwest Georgia, a carpet dye company is set to add 300 jobs to the region. Bently Dye made expansion plans in the Calhoun area late last year with the purchase of 42 acres for a new plant to make polyester and carpet yarn. Currently, the company employs 80 people.

Shaw Closing Two More Plants

There are another two plant closings on the horizon in Georgia. Officials with Shaw Industries say its facilities in Calhoun and Valdosta will close, leaving about 600 workers without jobs. The struggling economy is cited as the reason. The Dalton-based carpet manufacturer says the layoffs will begin in the next five to six weeks. Shaw is the world’s largest maker of carpets.

Mohawk Case To Be Heard By U.S. Supreme Court

The nation’s high court has agreed to hear an appeal by northwest Georgia-based Mohawk Industries in its legal battle against a former shift supervisor. Hired in 2006, Norman Carpenter says he was later fired after he told company officials a temporary agency was sending undocumented workers to fill jobs at a Mohawk plant.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Carpenter alleges Mohawk tried to prevent him from testifying in another lawsuit where current and former employees charged the company recruited and hired illegal immigrants.

Calhoun-based Mohawk in its court filing says Carpenter was fired because HE hired illegal workers in his position as supervisor. The company also denied other allegations.

A recent appeal in the case to a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has now led to Mohawk’s filing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Two I-75 lanes in Calhoun closed

Two northbound lanes of Interstate-75 in Calhoun have been temporarily closed by the state DOT. Wednesday afternoon, the pavement began to dip while a contractor was digging a utility tunnel under the interstate. There is one northbound lane of I-75 that remains open in the northwest Georgia city.

'Mohawk' announces another Georgia plant closure

There is more pain in the north Georgia job market. Mohawk Industries says it is closing its Dahlonega plant. The move will put 366 people out of work in June. The Calhoun-based carpet and flooring manufacturer has about 36-thousand employees worldwide, and is one of the largest employers in northeast Georgia. The announcement continues a run of bad news in the midst of a housing slowdown. In September, Mohawk said it was closing plants its Mohawk Home plants in Dalton and Calhoun. The company said it was getting out of the woven throw, decorative pillow and woven bedspread business.