WMBD/WYZZ - PEORIA --
More than 2,100 caterpillar
production employees are out of a job.
This morning, Caterpillar notified full-time production employees at its
East
Peoria, Decatur and Aurora manufacturing facilities. These layoffs are in addition to the cost-cutting measures cat announced
Monday.
There was more news today about those layoffs- 174 employees in East Peoria were notified this morning that
their jobs are being eliminated.
“These decisions are coming as we
continue to look at our business and slowing demand for the products made at
those facilities," CAT Spokesperson Jim Dugan said.
Of the additional 21-hundred layoffs
announced Friday, 750 come from the East Peoria plant. Workers we spoke with who've made it through
the first rounds of layoffs have mixed reactions.
“We all understand but it's tough. We all got families to feed," John Nash
said.
“Someone who comes to work every day,
does what he's supposed to do, and not they're laid off. It's just not right, it's not fair,” Terence
Gregory said.
Dugan says the company is being
forced to respond to changes in the global market, and less demand for their
products.
“As commodity prices have fallen off
dramatically, we've seen a dramatic cancellation in orders, delays in order
from key customers late in 2008 and 2009,” Dugan said. The company says they're taking
other cost cutting measures to try and retain more staff. But some workers say
they see it differently.
