Gateway to Fire or Reassign 300 Workers

Gateway 2000 Inc. said it will fire or reassign 300 people, about 2.5% of its work force, as part of a restructuring. The nation’s second-largest direct seller of personal computers after Dell Computer Corp. said the workers may either accept an assignment in another part of the company or take a severance package. It expects to end the year with about 12,000 workers. Gateway, based in North Sioux City, S.D., declined to comment further on the changes. The company warned Sept. 3 that its third-quarter income would fail to meet estimates because of lower-than-expected shipments and falling prices. Gateway shares fell $1.38 to close at $31.50 on the NYSE.