Georgia Workers Get Rheemed

Rheem Manufacturing may call back some laid off workers at its Fort Smith, Arkansas factory, after the shutdown of a Rheem plant in Georgia.

The company is cutting 800 permanent positions and 400 seasonal ones by closing its Milledgeville, Georgia factory for the rest of 2009.

The company, a maker of central heating and cooling products, has not determined how it will spread the work from the Georgia plant. Some production also will be shifted to a company plant in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

The Fort Smith plant has about 1,500 workers. The factory already plans to shut down for the week of March 20.

Rheem laid off 185 assembly workers from its Fort Smith plant in late October.