Whirlpool to lay off 200 in January

Whirlpool Corp. will lay off up to 200 workers at its Middle Amana refrigerator plant effective Jan. 9 to adjust inventories to seasonal demand.

The company expects the workers to be called back sometime in 2010 as demand dictates, Whirlpool Director of External Relations Jill Saletta said.

The plant employs about 1,650 workers producing mainly bottom-freezer refrigerator models.

Refrigerator demand typically declines in the fall and winter because fewer refrigerators fail in use when temperatures are cold, and because fewer people are moving into new homes that require refrigerators.

The plant already has about 200 workers on layoff status due to market conditions.

Whirlpool and the plant's previous operator, Maytag, have often laid off workers in the cold weather months. In previous years, the layoff has often taken effect earlier.