WARREN GE announces that 78 will lose jobs Sept. 2

The permanent layoffs take effect Sept. 2.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
WARREN -- General Electric is eliminating 78 jobs at its Ohio Lamp Plant in Warren, a company official said today, because of continuing low customer orders and high inventory for its products.
Janice Fraser, a GE spokeswoman in Cleveland, said the Warren plant is the company's largest of three in the Mahoning Valley with 400 employees.
That number will drop to about 322 when the permanent layoffs take effect Sept. 2.
GE also employs about 220 at its Niles Mahoning Glass Plant and 115 at its Austintown Product Plant.
Products
The plant produces specialty incandescent light bulbs for products including spotlights and floodlights. Each GE plant produces different product lines, she said, so jobs are eliminated only where slow sales are a problem.
"This is something we hate to do, but it's necessary for the plant to remain competitive," she said, adding that the company's projections do not show a substantial sales improvement in the product lines the Warren plant makes.
Early retirement
Fraser said some of the workers may be eligible for early retirement. Human resource personnel are meeting with employees now to determine how many may be eligible. A retirement bonus of $14,000 may also be available to some.
GE also provides tuition reimbursement for retraining and education, along with an Income Extension Aid program, which supplements state unemployment benefits to provide laid off workers with 75 percent of their pay.
The company also continues workers' medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits for one year after their jobs are eliminated, Fraser said.
vinarsky@vindy.com