EDEN, N.C. -- State Attorney General Roy Cooper visited Eden Wednesday to weigh in on the closing of the MillerCoors Brewery.
Teamsters Local 391 held a rally to support the more than 500 employees at the facility expected to lose their jobs in September.
Vernon Gammon, secretary treasurer of the union said he received a phone call from the company notifying him when the first layoffs may start.
"It's been a phone call that we haven't been wanting to get, but we got it,” he said. “They told me over the phone, the first potential layoff will be June 3."
It’s anticipated to affect roughly 50 employees.
Cooper, who is running for state governor, met with employees and spoke at the rally.
“This community and our entire state will suffer because of the loss of these good paying jobs,” he said.
Cooper added he’s trying to find a way to keep the plant open or have MillerCoors sell it to another company to save the jobs.
"I can't make you any promises as to what is going to happen here because none of us know. But one thing I can promise is that I'm going to fight for you as your Attorney General."
MillerCoors announced the closure last year, 72 hours before merger talks between the plant's co-owner SAB Miller and AB InBev became public. The company claimed decline in production volumes led to the announcement. Cooper said his office sent investigative demands to MillerCoors to see if there are anti-trust violations.
"We've already set up a meeting with the companies involved. We're working with the United States Department of Justice."
As Cooper tries to help the doors open, the union wants to take action now by assisting workers pushed to the unemployment line.
"We hope to see some serious movement in the companies part now that we can at least negotiate a good package for these individuals," Gammon said.