MONROE COUNTY – Two major Monroe County employers announced layoffs Monday affecting more than 200 workers.
GE Appliances in Bloomington plans to cut 160 jobs while Smithville in Ellettsville will cut 45 jobs.
According to our newsgathering partners at the Herald-Times, the decision leaves GE with 364 employees at its Bloomington plant. The company said the decision comes as demand slips for side-by-side refrigerators, which has fallen more than 30 percent since 2010.
GE said about 35 percent of the cuts will come through early retirement. The last day for laid-off employees is Oct. 31, and those workers will get a benefits package, the company said.
Smithville, a telecommunications firm, is trimming its workforce as a result of the sharp decline in landline telephone use. The Federal Communications Commission is also expected to cut programs that support the development of fiber-optic networks. In the last four years, Smithville has installed more than 2,500 miles of fiber.
The cuts leave the company with a workforce of 140 employees.
