Friday, April 04, 2008
MORE LAYOFFS AT FLEETWOOD IN RIVERSIDE, CA
RV Business
Friday, April 4, 2008
Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. reported Thursday (April 3) it had cut 48 local jobs and demoted dozens of other workers in an attempt to cut costs, according to the Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.
The cuts come a month after the Riverside-based RV and manufactured housing maker reported that it lost $16.4 million in its most recent fiscal quarter while its revenue fell 20%.
Kathy A. Munson, director of investor relations, said in an e-mail Fleetwood is undergoing an analysis of all its RV plants to bring costs down in a slowing industry.
"We have had a situation at some plants where we have downsized the work force, but have not reduced the number of supervisors," Munson said. "Fleetwood is giving ... current supervisors a choice between stepping down a level or looking elsewhere for work."
The supervisors were offered jobs as assembly workers, with pay cuts of as much as 23%.
Thursday's job cuts came at the company's Riverside motorhome plant, which employed about 700 workers. Munson said cuts were effective immediately and the workers were given no warning by the company.
According to the Press-Enterprise, other area RV companies have fallen under hard times. Last month, Weekend Warrior Trailers Inc. cut 100 workers at its Perris facility, and in November National RV Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy and shuttered its operation.
Another RV maker, Thor California, recently shut down its Moreno Valley facility for three weeks to keep dealer inventories from inflating.
At the beginning of the year, the company scaled back production to four days a week.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. reported Thursday (April 3) it had cut 48 local jobs and demoted dozens of other workers in an attempt to cut costs, according to the Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.
The cuts come a month after the Riverside-based RV and manufactured housing maker reported that it lost $16.4 million in its most recent fiscal quarter while its revenue fell 20%.
Kathy A. Munson, director of investor relations, said in an e-mail Fleetwood is undergoing an analysis of all its RV plants to bring costs down in a slowing industry.
"We have had a situation at some plants where we have downsized the work force, but have not reduced the number of supervisors," Munson said. "Fleetwood is giving ... current supervisors a choice between stepping down a level or looking elsewhere for work."
The supervisors were offered jobs as assembly workers, with pay cuts of as much as 23%.
Thursday's job cuts came at the company's Riverside motorhome plant, which employed about 700 workers. Munson said cuts were effective immediately and the workers were given no warning by the company.
According to the Press-Enterprise, other area RV companies have fallen under hard times. Last month, Weekend Warrior Trailers Inc. cut 100 workers at its Perris facility, and in November National RV Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy and shuttered its operation.
Another RV maker, Thor California, recently shut down its Moreno Valley facility for three weeks to keep dealer inventories from inflating.
At the beginning of the year, the company scaled back production to four days a week.
