The IBJ
Nearly 1,000 Caterpillar Inc. workers in Lafayette will have their hours cut by at least half beginning Aug. 24, the Peoria, Ill.-based company said today in a notice to state officials.
Caterpillar said the new work schedule at its Large Engine Center could last for more than six months and will affect 985 employees, none of whom are union members.
The cutback in hours is the latest in a string of cost-saving measures the company is implementing to deal with slumping sales.
Caterpillar earlier this month said it planned to lay off 141 employees at the plant for at least six months, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
The company also plans to implement an unspecified number of "rolling layoffs," or furloughs, during the remainder of the year, the company told the newspaper in a statement.
The 141 layoffs will begin July 31. The company previously announced that it would lay off 439 of its nearly 1,900 workers in Lafayette, effective May 29.