Mack Trucks will dismiss between 250 and 350 workers in its Lehigh Valley operations center outside the Allentown over the next three months, due to the economic uncertainty caused by American prices, a company spokesman said on Thursday.
“Orders of trucks for intensive use continue to be negatively affected by market uncertainty on freight rates and demand, possible regulatory modifications and the impact of prices”, spokesperson Kimberly Pupillo said.
“Today, we have informed our employees that this unfortunately means that we will have to fire 250-350 people in LVO in the next 90 days,” said Pupillo. “We regret having to take this measure, but we must align production with a reduced demand for our vehicles.”
Union leaders announced that the company had confirmed the layoffs Thursday afternoon. The Macungie factory employs around 3,050 workers.
“Due to the drop in the market, there will be a rate and line reduction. I have heard all the same rumors that you have heard. This is the first time that I have an official word from the company that there will be a layoff,” said President of the Local Boutique 677 by United Auto.
State representative Josh Siegel (D-Lehigh) said that dismissals are “a clear signal of dangerous economic instability fueled by chaotic tariff policies of the Trump administration”.
“The rates – erratic, wide and poorly targeted – are crushed the basic American industries such as trucking and manufacturing. The supply chains are hampered, the costs are soaring and the confidence of employers collapses,” said Siegel in a press release.
President Donald Trump said on the campaign path last year These prices would make manufacturing in the United States and generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the US Treasury.
In early April, Trump announced that prices on products imported from other countries starting a universal right of 10% and increasing with additional reciprocal prices as high as 50% against countries with large trade deficits or other export obstacles.
The announcement sparked a massive stock market sale which has erased thousands of dollars of value followed by the highest increase of one day when Trump announced a 90 -day suspended day for most countries. He doubled the prices for Chinese imports, which increases rights to 125%.
Siegel called the American representative Ryan Mackenzie (R-7th District), whose district includes the Lehigh County Mack factory, and the senators John Fetterman (D-P.) And Dave McCormick (R-P-.) To “take up the constitutional authority of the Congress on Trade and end this economic sabotage before more means of subsistence are lost”.
(This article was updated at 9:26 a.m. on April 18, 2025, to correct the number of employees for the installation of Mack Trucks operations in Lehigh Valley.)
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Last update 9:27 a.m., April 18, 2025
