Arkansas job losses continue, small auto plant could land in NLR

News from around the state is reminiscent of the phrase, “One step forward, two steps back.”

The step forward is news from North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays that the town is in the running for a “land-use vehicle plant” that would employ more than 500, according to this report from the Arkansas News Bureau.

Hays said North Little is one of two cities on the short list for the plant, and he thinks a decision could come before Christmas.

The steps back come from Franklin Electric and Alcoa.

Franklin Electric is cutting 200 jobs at its Siloam Springs submersible pump plant and moving that production to a plant in Linares, Mexico, according to a company statement. This marks the second large employment cut at the plant, which once employed around 500 in Siloam Springs. It is estimated that about 50 jobs will remain when the cuts are complete by June.

In Texarkana, Alcoa is laying off 60 at its aluminum plant.

The company released this as a statement: “Alcoa’s Texarkana plant will reduce its workforce by approximately 60 employees by the end of January 2009 due to current economic conditions. Operations Manager Michael Leherr said that “The employees at Alcoa-Texarkana have worked hard at reducing costs, increasing productivity, and driving to be competitive in a global market. However, the current economic environment has significantly reduced the demand for our product. Texarkana must align production with current demand in order to keep the business viable for the future. We regret this decision because of the impact to our employees.”