100 Dutchmen workers in Elkhart County lose their jobs

Approximately 100 employees of Dutchmen Manufacturing were laid off Friday, the second jobs cut at the company in eight months.

The action marks the third major layoff in the Elkhart County RV sector this month. About 600 jobs have been shed between Dutchmen, Jayco Inc. and Keystone RV.

"It's a horrible thing that's going on right now," Dutchmen Director of Human Resources Suzanne Randall said.

According to Randall, the jobs are victims of the economy, not of poor performance.

The layoff amounts to approximately 14 percent of the company's workforce, with 600 still employed.

It also comes after parent company Thor Industries released a negative preliminary report on sales last quarter. The report found sales at Thor down $559 million to $227 million. Of those, RV sales were $135 million, down from $505 million and bus sales were $92 million, down from $94 million.

Laid-off Dutchmen workers are eligible for the state's retraining grants.