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McCook Gazette

Valmont lays off 41

Thursday, December 4, 2008
Lorri Sughroue

Valmont Industries in McCook laid off 41 employees Wednesday.

Employees were laid off because of the changed agricultural economy and with crop prices down, said Jeff Laudin, manager of investor relations in Valmont's corporate office in Omaha.

Valmont manufactures steel and aluminum utility poles, specialty structures like cell phone towers and in the McCook plant, farm equipment such as irrigation systems.

Laudin said the layoffs were based on seniority and he did not know if employees would be called back.

"We'll see how things develop," he said. "We would hope to be able to call them back but it's subject to the economy."

Laudin estimated about 200 employees worked in the McCook plant.

This is the second manufucturer in McCook that announced layoffs in the past month. On Nov. 11, the Parker Hannifin plant laid off 24 employees with 28 employees who took a voluntary layoff in October.

Parker produces rubber hose and rubber compound.

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  • My heart goes out to these laid off workers and their families. It always seems hard times fall right before the holidays. I will keep you all in my prayers. Blessings to you all. Keep the faith!

    -- Posted by RamblingThoughts on Thu, Dec 4, 2008, at 3:05 PM

  • I was one of those laid off workers... the sad thing about the situation... they've cut our hours back for the last...2 months or so... and they've been telling us... there wasn't going to be a lay off... so, on Wednesday I went to work...carrying out my duties... then got pulled into a meeting, told merry christmas, you're laid off...

    -- Posted by ringobonham on Fri, Dec 5, 2008, at 5:22 AM

  • That isn't good just before Christmas. I hope that all laid off workers can find some type of income before the season ends. Everyone deserves to have a Christmas.

    That is like the big companies to give you a job and then...... Oops! Were sorry, there isn't anymore work for you. And the city wants more for economic development. What about jobs for people. If economic develpment is creating jobs, then where are they?? They have the funds for it with the taxes that were voted in. The city should be looking towards keeping the population up and not let it fall like it has.

    -- Posted by edbru on Fri, Dec 5, 2008, at 10:17 PM

  • I know it's just the economy right now, because this time last year, my daughter was working 12-hour days. She's now working 8-hour days AFTER the lay off. And look at Parker. It's happening all across the country too.

    I hope those laid off are at least getting unemployment until things get better or they're able to find other work?

    -- Posted by What I think... on Fri, Dec 12, 2008, at 8:50 AM
  • *

    I wonder...

    First off, Valmont has plants all over America. Was it just McCook that suffered layoffs? What about Valmont facilities in California, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota and Omaha? That may have been a good question for a reporter to find out.

    Second, businesses, all over America, are nervous. Nervous about the hard left turn our country took on election day. The rhetoric coming from President elect Obama, and all his fellow Marxists now controlling the Democratic Party, has sent a clear message to American business. That message? BEWARE, WE ARE COMING FOR YOU.

    What is so very hard to understand, is that voters selected the very party responsible for most of the economic ills in this country to continue to devastate the economy!

    I wish it were not so, but I think it will get worse. The "dumbed down" voters apparently wanted Socialist/Marxist philosophy, and layoffs, and pain, and more layoffs, and more pain, is what you get with Marxist financial theology. I used the word theology on purpose, because hatred of business, hatred of profit, hatred of independent business people, is a religion to Obama and his worshippers.

    My prayers go out to those laid off, and I sincerely suggest that the rest of us pray hard that we don't join them.

    Of course, you that work for Government have nothing to worry about. No layoffs in your future. In fact, you'll get raises while the rest of us figure out how to pay for it all.

    -- Posted by sameldridge on Sun, Dec 14, 2008, at 4:58 PM
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