PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - A union official says Caterpillar is laying off 75 employees at a central Illinois foundry and may close the plant for two months late this year if demand for its engines doesn't improve.
Rick Doty is president of United Auto Workers Local 974.
He says the 75 workers at the foundry in Mapleton will be laid off Monday.
The town is about 10 miles south of Peoria, where Caterpillar is based.
Doty says the company also has tentative plans to close the foundry and idle its 525 remaining workers in November and December.
Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan says the company spoke with employees about job reductions, but he declined to discuss specifics.
Caterpillar has laid off more than 30,000 workers worldwide during the current recession.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA