Employers
Dal-Tile has stopped production at its ceramic tile plant on Rickwood Road in Florence, Ala., and will close it permanently on Feb. 26, 2027, with 144 jobs eliminated, according to the state’s official WARN record. The plant ceased operations Friday, Oct. 16, the same day the company notified city officials.
The WARN list published by Alabama’s state workforce agency shows a closure notice for Dal-Tile LLC in Florence covering 144 employees, with an initial report date of Monday, Oct. 19, and a planned starting date of Oct. 16. FOX54 reported on Oct. 17 that no WARN notice for the closure was yet on file with the state.
144 or 146?
Early local coverage used two figures. Florence Mayor Ron Tyler, in a statement after receiving the company’s letter, said his concern was with “the 146 dedicated employees and their families,” and several outlets reported 146 workers affected. The TimesDaily reported that a list of affected positions sent to the mayor with the company’s closure letter showed 144 jobs. The state’s WARN record also lists 144, so that is the figure the company reported to the state. The company has not publicly explained the difference from the mayor’s number.
What workers were told
The closure letter, issued by Dal-Tile Services Inc. and shared by the mayor, describes the job losses as permanent and says affected workers will not be able to “displace more junior employees out of their job positions as a result of this closure,” WHNT reported. Employees received separation dates, and the company said they will get a lump-sum payment equal to 60 days of regular wages and all benefits, according to WAFF and WHNT.
A worker told the TimesDaily that employees were notified by text message and an automated phone call. Dal-Tile Vice President Claudio Casselli reportedly attributed the closure to changes in the housing market in a social media post, according to the TimesDaily; the company did not respond to that newspaper or to other local outlets with an on-the-record statement.
The plant was formerly known as Monarch Tile Company and was owned by Marazzi Group until 2013, according to the TimesDaily, which identified Mohawk Industries as Dal-Tile’s parent company. WAFF reported that the facility had operated for 72 years.
The notice question
The federal WARN Act generally requires 60 days’ advance notice before a plant closing. Florence attorney Joel Hamner told WAFF it is too early to say whether Dal-Tile violated the law. The company stopped production immediately while offering 60 days of wages and benefits; no court or agency has made any finding about whether that met the law’s requirements.
Tyler said he was unaware of the decision before receiving the letter and had not been able to reach company leadership.
Help for displaced workers
The city, the Shoals Chamber of Commerce and the Shoals Economic Development Authority organized a job fair for former Dal-Tile workers, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Florence-Lauderdale Coliseum, WAFF reported. Attendees were asked to reserve a spot by calling 256-246-9622, and the YMCA of the Shoals planned free child care from 3 to 5 p.m. Employers named as hiring included Forsythe and Long Engineering, Thacker Casket and Flexco Floors. The Economic Development Authority’s Rob Jones said Dal-Tile sent the job fair information to its displaced employees.
The local job market
Lauderdale County’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in August 2026, up from 3.3% a year earlier, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data that are not seasonally adjusted and are preliminary for August. The county’s labor force was about 43,400. Alabama’s statewide seasonally adjusted rate was 3.5% in September.
Sources
- Alabama Department of Workforce, “WARN List,” accessed October 22, 2026. https://workforce.alabama.gov/warn-list/
- TimesDaily, “Florence tile plant ceases operations; 144 jobs lost,” October 16, 2026. https://www.timesdaily.com/news/local/florence-tile-plant-ceases-operations-144-jobs-lost/article_d0b374bc-fa03-46c7-a943-ca3058d45993.html
- WAFF, “Dal-Tile ceases operations at Florence facility, affecting 146 employees,” October 16, 2026. https://www.waff.com/2026/10/17/dal-tile-ceases-operations-florence-facility-affecting-146-employees/
- WHNT, “Tile manufacturer closing Florence facility,” October 17, 2026. https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/tile-manufacturer-closing-florence-facility-205209066.html
- FOX54 (WZDX), “Dal-Tile Services shutting down Florence facility, impacting 146 workers,” October 17, 2026. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dal-tile-services-shut-down-134431453.html
- WAFF, “Florence leaders launch job fair for former Dal-Tile workers,” October 19, 2026. https://www.waff.com/2026/10/19/florence-leaders-launch-job-fair-former-dal-tile-workers/
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Lauderdale County, AL unemployment rate and labor force (LAUCN010770000000003, LAUCN010770000000006), accessed October 22, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LAUCN010770000000003
Featured photo: Downtown Florence, Ala., with the Florence/Lauderdale American Legion building in the foreground, Sept. 10, 2017. Representative image; not the Dal-Tile plant on Rickwood Road. Photo: Brian Stansberry, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0). Cropped from the original.
