Longaberger Co. lays off 215 more workers

NEWARK, Ohio (AP) -- The Longaberger Co. laid off 215 salaried and administrative workers in the second round of what officials called a restructuring at the nation's largest handmade basket-maker.
The company had laid off 784 employees from its Hartville and Frazeysburg manufacturing facilities Sept. 9. The latest workers to be laid off, mostly from the company's headquarters in Newark, were notified Wednesday and Thursday.
"The economy continues to be challenging, but we continue to address the challenges that the market presents," chief executive Tami Longaberger said.
The layoffs, combined with workers who have left the company since it announced in July that up to 970 workers could be laid off if sales did not improve, reduced Longaberger's total work force to about 4,300 employees.
The 31-year-old company employed about 8,000 three years ago, when it was coming off a strong fiscal 2000 that saw sales reach $1 billion. Longaberger's sales dropped to $833 million last year.