Fruit of the Loom to Cut About 5,100 Jobs

Fruit of the Loom Inc. told about 5,100 workers at seven plants in Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas that they will lose their jobs because of competition from foreign companies. The Chicago-based maker of underwear and active-wear plans to lay off about 4,800 workers at six plants and to close a 300-employee plant in Port Barre, La., company spokesman Mark Steinkrauss said. The layoffs and closing will take effect Oct. 6. The moves continue the company’s policy of moving manufacturing jobs to other countries to take advantage of lower wages, he said. The layoffs will be offset by plans to add 1,000 other textile jobs at those plants, he said. Fruit of the Loom’s last big cutback came in 1995 when it announced it was cutting more than 3,200 jobs in five states, about 12% of its U.S. work force. It employs about 36,000 people worldwide.