Additional Layoffs, Furloughs Affect Thousands

(aerial photo courtesy: The Times of Northwest Indiana)

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development continues to receive layoff notices from employers throughout the state as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, U.S. Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) says it is temporarily laying off more than 3,700 workers at its Gary and Portage facilities.

In its notices to the state, U.S. Steel says the layoffs will begin May 3 and continue periodically “while the underlying business conditions last.” The majority of the affected employees work at the company’s Gary Works facility, with the remainder coming from the Midwest Plant in Portage.

U.S. Steel describes the layoffs as “indefinite operational adjustments” but does not provide an expected time frame for the employees returning to work.

The Caesars Southern Indiana casino in the Harrison County town of Elizabeth has furloughed 1,161 employees following the state’s decree in March for all casinos to close. The casino says it intends for the furloughs to be temporary, “however, given the unknown certainty surrounding COVID-19, it is possible that the furloughs could become a permanent layoff.”

Meanwhile, Virginia-based American Woodmark Corp. says “unforeseeable business circumstances caused by the COVID-19 crisis” has led to five employees being laid off. The cabinet manufacturer says the layoffs are expected to be permanent.