Whirlpool May Cut Jobs in Fort Smith Aug 15, 2011

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Whirlpool Corp. is considering more workforce reductions at its facility in Fort Smith, AR, U.S., making refrigerators.

In a statement emailed to the media on August 11, 2011, Whirlpool Corp. spokesperson Kristine Vernier wrote: "As part of our annual planning process, Whirlpool Corporation communicated internally today at Fort Smith that projected demand for side-by-side refrigerators continues to decline. It was further communicated that this reduced volume, along with recent softening of the economy, could possibly result in layoffs of up to 250 hourly and 20 salaried employees at this location in the coming year. While no decisions have been finalized we understand how difficult this information is during these uncertain times and strive to share information with our employees as we continue the planning process."

Fort Smith media outlet TheCityWire.com quoted a Whirlpool employee and an unidentified source that claimed they were told the plant would close by July 2012. In the same report, Sandy Sanders, formerly an employee at the Whirlpool plant and now mayor of Fort Smith, said that, based on his information, he does not believe Whirlpool is planning to close the plant.

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