Truck maker cutting jobs

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Thursday, June 28, 2001 | 10:55 a.m.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- DaimlerChrysler AG's Freightliner truck unit will fire 1,120 North American workers, or 7.1 percent of its employees, one month after a new chief executive was installed to restore profit as sales decline.

The firings will take place at plants in North Carolina, Mexico, Ontario and British Columbia, spokesman Othmar Stein said. The Stuttgart, Germany-based company's North American truck business now has 15,800 employees and has eliminated about 8,000 jobs since December 1999, he said.

DaimlerChrysler's U.S. truck and auto units, Freightliner and Chrysler were significant contributors to the company's 373 million euro ($333 million) first-quarter loss. DaimlerChrysler has cut jobs, ousted American executives and named new managers at both the businesses as part of Chief Executive Juergen Schrempp's plan to consolidate control and restore profits.