Continental General plant in Mayfield planning more layoffs (200 jobs)

[UpInArms]

http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/04/25ky/B4-tire04250-3285.html

MAYFIELD, Ky. — Two hundred more layoffs are planned at a Western Kentucky tire plant to correspond with a cut in production.

The layoffs, announced Friday, are planned for July when the daily production at the Mayfield plant will be cut from 10,900 tires to 7,300. The announcement follows 150 layoffs just before Christmas and about 230 layoffs in June.

Continental General Tire blamed the December cuts on rising costs. It also had cut daily production of tires to 10,900 from 14,100. The layoffs in June came with the elimination of bias-tire production and a shift in radial-tire work to Continental plants in Mount Vernon, Ill.; Bryan, Ohio; and Mexico.

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When Beane went to work in 1976, the work force exceeded 2,000. Since then, industry has shifted production greatly to foreign countries where labor is cheaper.

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