Evansville Courier & Press
Whirlpool Corp.'s factory in Evansville is asking workers there to sign up to be laid off.
In a company newsletter release Friday, managers said they planned to respond to a seasonal decline in demand for the factory's products by laying off between 80 and 100 employees. Rather than force anyone out of work, though, they would rather see some volunteers step forward.
Employees can sign up to be laid off any day next week, the newsletter said. Those who do will be off the job starting Aug. 17.
Whirlpool, based in Benton Harbor, Mich., reported earlier this week a profit of $78 million for the second quarter of 2009. That was down 33 percent from the $117 million the company had reported for the same period a year ago.
Whirlpool blamed the results on the recession, which has stifled the demand for its products. Whether the layoffs planned at the Evansville factory were related to the leaner profit was unclear Friday. Calls to Whirlpool were not returned.
Yet this is not the first time the local factory has asked for voluntary layoffs. In September, managers there said they planned to shed about 100 employees and sought willing participants before forcing anyone out.
Unlike some companies, Whirlpool considers layoffs to be temporary. The newsletter says that the shortest period a worker can be off the job is eight weeks.
But that can be extended twice, bringing the total amount of time to 26 weeks. The voluntary layoffs will be first granted to employees who have worked the greatest number of years at the factory.
While off work, employees will continue to receive medical, dental and other benefits. They can also obtain unemployment payments from the state.