ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ7) -- FreightCar America Corporation, a freight car manufacturer, will officially close its Roanoke manufacturing location in November.
According to an announcement from officials at FreightCar America, layoffs will begin the third week of September and will continue through November 11th when all employees at the Roanoke operation will be terminated.
The layoffs are set to come in stages, depending on the need for workers as the company scales back and eventually closes, according to a statement from FreightCar America Corporation.
"At this time, the plant closing should be considered permanent, and employees should not count on being recalled to employment with the Company," said David D. Benson, the Vice President of Human Resources at FreightCar America.
"Various factors including market conditions and pending orders may affect the sequence and timing of any layoffs and potential recalls from layoff during the period leading up to plant closure," Benson said in the statement. "You will be informed of any significant changes in these plans as additional information becomes available."
The company says the announcement and timetable are based on the best information currently available by FreightCar America.
According to a release from FreightCar, “The closure of our Roanoke facility is another next step in our ‘Back to Basics’ strategy as we continue to streamline our manufacturing footprint and match it to our future product offering.”
The company goes on to say that select employees will be given the opportunity to relocate to other areas within the company.
In 2011, WDBJ7 reported that FreightCar America was hiring an additional 200 employees bringing the workforce there to 400 workers at its Roanoke facility after a large order from Norfolk and Southern.
http://www.wdbj7.com/content/news/FreightCar-America-to-close-Roanoke-manufacturing-location-513042191.html
Realist - Everybody in America is soft, and hates conflict. The cure for this, both in politics and social life, is the same -- hardihood. Give them raw truth.
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