Obama Kiss of Death strikes again: 1,200 layoffs announced for NC Freightliners

An awful day for a lot of hard-working folks here in NC:

Oregon-based Daimler Trucks North America has announced it could lay off 1,200 workers at three plants it owns in the Charlotte area, according to a notice given to the state.

The cuts are described as temporary layoffs, meaning the company could rehire some workers at a later date.

The biggest layoffs are planned at the Freightliner manufacturing truck plant in Cleveland, where 715 people could lose jobs, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice given to the state.

Another 405 workers are expected to lose jobs at a Freightliner plant in Mt. Holly, while 80 could be laid off at Daimler’s Gastonia Components and Logistics business, according to the WARN notice.

The layoffs would become effective April 1, according to the WARN list posted on the website for the NC Department of Commerce.

Daimler currently employs 2,900 people at a truck manufacturing plant in Mount Holly and a parts factory in Gastonia. In addition, 2,100 people work at a manufacturing plant in the Rowan County town of Cleveland.

What connection does any of this have to President Obama? He visited the Mt. Holly plant last March, and hailed it as an example of the β€œrecovering economy”:

MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. – Β 409! It’s not just a number, it represents people! And that’s how many layoffs will take place at the Freightliner plant in Mount Holly.

Up to 1,300 Daimler Trucks workers could be unemployed in our area. The tough news comes as the landscape for jobs and the economy looks cloudy.

[…]

President Barack Obama came to the Mount Holly truck plant in March. He talked about how administration policies had created the type of jobs that existed here at the time.

Obama said that was a sign of a recovering economy.

At a speech inside the factory, Obama said improving domestic energy production and developing alternative energy would create jobs.

The trucks assembled at the Freightliner plant in Mount Holly played a role.

“The Freighter trucks that you’re making here at this plant run on natural gas and that makes them quieter,” said Obama, “it makes them better for the environment.”

Today, they’re parked by the hundreds, unable to sell.

By my count this is the third time aΒ North CarolinaΒ business Obama has visited and praised as an example of job creation has either gone belly-up or experienced significant layoffs: Lincolnton Furniture Company was one (closing its doors) and Celgard (layoffs) was the other.Β  Now this.Β  There may be more (someone please correct me if I’m wrong).

Interesting that they all have a β€œgreen energy” links, hmm?Β  Don’t hold your breath waiting for the mainstream media to make that connection, though.

I’m not the superstitious type, but I’d gladly use this excuse to implore the PresidentΒ to stop visiting this state if I thought it would work. :)

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