Posted on 08/29/2002 3:41:37 AM PDT by chance33_98
Massive Lay-Offs at Peterbilt Motor Company Email story to a friend
Massive Lay-Offs at Peterbilt Motor Company Reporter: Nancy Hauskins
The local trucking industry takes a hit as massive layoffs at Peterbilt trickle down. Peterbilt Motor Company in Madison plans to lay-off two thirds of its workers - more than 500 people. The company says production is down. The news is devastating to employees and other companies that work with them.
They're the top of the line in trucks, costing nearly $100,000. But suddenly, sales at Peterbilt have plummeted.
"Trucking's been down for a year and a half, and it looks like it may be another year or two before it picks back up."
Monday, Peterbilt announced 500 layoffs. Now, even veteran employees of the Madison plant are worried about their future.
"We're the low man on the totem pole as far as being a modern plant. All we got to sell is our knowledge and our seniority, and right now that's not too much," said Ronnie Smith, who's worked at Peterbilt for 32 years.
And many of those being let go say they knew it was coming.
"They told us this was gonna happen when we came in back in may, so it was all on the table. Not (surprised) not at all," said Rodney Montana.
"We were expecting it. We're just hoping that all at once they'll make some sales and we'll get to stay," Karen Hamblin said.
Union leaders say they were surprised by the size of the cuts.
"The magnitude of the numbers that were informed this week has kinda put a lot of people in shock," Jarvis Barlow said.
Plant manager Joe Scattergood told News 2 that the layoffs could not be avoided, saying they've had a big decline in orders for production after October 1st, and that they would like to build as many trucks as possible and keep as many employees as possible.
"We piggy back them to wherever they need to go in the united states and Canada."
Jim Hunter works for Active USA, the company that transports the trucks. He says the cutbacks at Peterbilt will mean 24 layoffs at his company.
"It really lays us off. According to how many they build a day is how many employees they keep here a day, and of course, that cuts out our health and welfare and everything," Jim said.
One reason for the drop in orders after October 1st is a new EPA regulation on emission standards that will tack $9,000 to $10,000 onto the price of each truck and cause them to use more gas. To avoid the expense, many companies ordered early.
You (and I) know that WRKN is Nashville, TN. But, others would not know.
Hopefully they won't use more gas since they run on diesel fuel.
When are the industrial union workers going to learn that they are just doormats for the democratic party which is controled by environmentalist and anti-Americans? The pary leadership hates our great industries, its products and its people. They hate, and lookdown upon them, and the military.
Oh, well.
I believe this refers to Tier II emission standards being applied in October of this year rather than in 2004 as originally planned. This is as a result of a consent decree signed by the DOJ, EPA, and the heavy duty diesel engine manufacturers back in '98.
It seems that the silly lawyers in Washington D.C. wrote some emissions regulations a few years back without understanding current and near term engine control technology. Some enterprising engineers at Cat, Cummins, Mack etc., implemented the regs in such a way as to maximize fuel economy at the expense of NOx emissions in engine operating modes not explicitly covered by the regulations. I guess it was assumed by the EPA that if they defined emissions standards at multiple engine operating points, the emissions performance would interpolate between the points. That's the way mechanical fuel injection systems would have worked. I guess no one ever bothered to do any research or even pick up a few copies of Diesel Progress. Apparently they missed the advent of computerised electronic fuel injection and engine control. Pin heads.
They get a new Peterbilt.
Working...
On the other hand, I'm also ticked at the multitudes of industry captains and employees alike in this country who still haven't figured out who and what is eating away at their businesses and livelihoods. They don't organize to fight back against the leftists, globalists and environmentalists. They even contribute to their causes and vote for their stooges.
They accept Jesse Jackson's blackmail against their companies. The restaurant industry meekly accepts the anti-smoking edicts even though it may shut down countless establishments. I could go on. But they just whine and accept their fates.
I guess when the axe falls, they finally do find the energy to turn the wrestling and Ophra programs off their tubes and manage to fill out their unemployment compensation forms.
Hard to feel sorry for them.
Leni
I've got to agree reluctantly with you there. Reap what you sow, baby. But if I'm not mistaken, GW runs the EPA now, and in a time of economic crisis, seems that he could relax a reg here or there, like the suckerfish, or the increased steel tariffs to save some jobs, eh?
Or could he at least publicly connect the dots that the EPA is responsible for these new welfare recipients?
4.3 cent per gallon multiplied by 100 gallons = $4.30 not $43.00
As for how this affects the truck builders as an industry it is important to point out that the fall-off in orders due to the new engines is temporary since there was a rush to buy before the new models came out.
Regarding the validity of the changes due to environmental concerns note that although there is neither scientific nor political consensus on CO2 and the global warming that may result from that compound, there is no disagreement at all on the need to regulate methane, CO, NOx, VOCs, CFC, SO2, mercury, etc.
Bush has recieved a great deal of criticism for being "soft" on CO2, but if he tried to go "soft" on these other compounds, there would be a firestorm.
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