TMCnet News
Whirlpool seeking 150 more voluntary layoffs(Gazette, The (Cedar Rapids, IA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 12--MIDDLE AMANA -- The slowdown in refrigerator sales is hitting home again at Whirlpool's Middle Amana plant. Whirlpool management asked this week for 150 workers to take voluntary layoffs beginning Jan. 5. Under the voluntary layoff offer, employees can continue to receive health benefits while they are not actively working. Whirlpool Director of External Communications Jill Saletta said the 150 voluntary layoffs now sought are in addition to 440 layoffs that began in October. Saletta emphasized that the layoffs are considered temporary in nature, and are part of a much larger picture of manufacturing layoffs due to the soft economy both at Whirlpool and throughout much of the manufacturing world. The company would like to see the plant at full employment, Saletta said. "The Middle Amana plant is our sole supplier globally of the French Door bottom mount refrigerator," Saletta said. "It is the most popular configuration of refrigerator we sell today." The Jan. 5 voluntary layoff date at the Middle Amana plant coincides with the ending of a roughly three-week holiday shutdown. The shutdown is about three times as long as usual this year due to the need to keep inventories in line with slower demand. The previous 440-employee layoff amounted to about onefourth of the work force. Falling consumer confi dence, the slowdown in home sales, the tightening of consumer credit and rising unemployment are all trends that tend to reduce consumer demand for home appliances. Whirlpool, the nation's largest home appliance maker, reported that its third-quarter earnings fell 7 percent on lower global unit volumes and higher material costs. Whirlpool also lowered its earnings outlook for the year and announced price increases. -- Contact the writer: (319) 398-8317 or [email protected] To see more of The Gazette, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.gazetteonline.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |