Freightliner cuts 225 more jobs at S.C. plant

Freightliner has blamed recent layoffs, which have cut the Gaffney, S.C., worforce in half, on decreasing customer demand.

The Associated Press

8/29/2008

GAFFNEY, S.C. — A heavy truck subsidiary of German automaker Daimler AG says it is cutting 225 more jobs at its Gaffney custom chassis plant.

Last month, Freightliner LLC announced 100 layoffs at that facility.

The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports that the cuts announced this week mean that the plant will have cut its work force of 790 employees nearly in half.

The company has blamed the layoffs on decreasing customer demand.

Officials say they expect the job losses to cause a sharp increase in Cherokee County’s unemployment rate, which was 8.9 percent in July.