OHIO

OHIO

GM’s Moraine plant
plans about 340 layoffs

MORAINE, Ohio — General Motors Corp. plans to lay off about 340 of the 2,250 production workers at its assembly plant in this Dayton suburb next year because of expected softening in demand for the midsize sport utility vehicles the plant makes.

Layoffs will start in the first quarter and continue through mid-2008 while cutting production from 58 SUVS to 50 an hour, Jessica Peck, spokeswoman for the GM Moraine plant, said Wednesday. The plant produces the GMC Envoy, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, Saab 9-7X and Isuzu Ascender.

NATION

Toyota expects U.S. sales
to increase in 2008

WASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp. expects its vehicle sales in the United States to grow by about 3 percent in 2008 on the strength of more than a dozen new or updated vehicles, a top company executive said Wednesday.

Jim Lentz, Toyota’s president of U.S. sales, marketing and distribution operations, told reporters that U.S. sales were expected to be about 2.61 million units in 2007, a growth of about 3 percent to 4 percent compared with the previous year. He expected similar gains in 2008.

Company, UAW reach
tentative agreement

WARRENVILLE, Ill. — International Truck and Engine Corp. reached a tentative agreement Wednesday with the United Auto Workers leadership on three-year contracts for 3,700 striking workers, the company said.

UAW members were expected to vote this weekend on the agreement, details of which were not publicly disclosed. Workers at local unions in six states have been on strike against the company since Oct. 23, alleging unfair labor practices.

Associated Press