Wabash Makes 790 Layoffs Permanent

Wabash National Corp. has told the 790 workers it laid off in January that it does not expect to call them back, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

The trailer manufacturer said that analysts expect demand for new trailers to be 60% less this year than in 2008, AP said.

“We can no longer provide our laid-off associates firm return to work dates,” Chief Executive Officer Richard Giromini wrote in a letter Friday to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, notifying the agency of Wabash’s decision.

Wabash laid off the workers at its Lafayette, Ind., factory earlier this year after its scheduled holiday shutdown ended in January. At that time, the company told workers that it expected to bring the workers back in the second quarter.

Great Dane Trailers also announced that it had laid off 43 workers at its Brazil, Ind., factory, also citing the economic slowdown, AP said.