A drop in vehicle orders as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been winding down is prompting the Oshkosh Corporation to cut 900 employees. Defense Division vice president of human resources Rod Wedemeier says the layoffs are in response to projections that daily production will decline by 30 percent over the summer.
The company plans to lay off 700 hourly workers by mid-June and 200 salaried employees in July. After the cuts are complete, the Oshkosh Corporation will still employ about 2,800 workers.
AUDIO: Rod Wedemeier (:15)
Wedemeier says the workers will not know if they are losing their job for at least another month. He says they hope to reduce the number of layoffs by offering an early retirement package and by leaving some empty positions vacant.
Rick Schuh, WHBY
