ST. LOUIS — A dental lab in Olivette has laid off 33 workers.
Dental Arts Laboratories Inc., with a location at 1311 Bauer Blvd., said in a letter Friday to the state of Missouri that some of the cuts may be permanent. Twenty-three dental technicians and seven delivery drivers were affected, among others. The Peoria, Illinois-based company notified the state under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
Dental Arts Laboratories said it had hoped to keep on all employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic, but the American Dental Association recommended dental offices halt all nonemergency procedures. "Unfortunately, we have seen the financial impact of that recommendation through declining sales and reduced incoming work," it said.
Dental Arts makes crowns, dentures and other devices used by dentists. The company said layoffs began March 20 and continued in phases through April 9.
"Many of our employees will be temporarily affected and will be reinstated as incoming work picks up, and some may result in a permanent separation," the company wrote in its notice.
An unprecedented 398,000 Missourians filed for unemployment from mid-March to April 18, the state reported.
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