Mack Trucks layoffs to impact up to 350 employees in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
One of the largest employers in the Lehigh Valley plans to lay off up to 350 employees over the next three months due to uncertainty surrounding its orders for heavy-duty trucks.
Mack Trucks intends to lay off between 250 and 350 workers over the next 90 days at its Lehigh Valley Operations Center in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia Friday morning.
The truck manufacturing company is blaming the impact of tariffs, concerns around freight rates and possible regulatory changes.
"We regret having to take this action, but we need to align production with reduced demand for our vehicles," the spokesperson said.
Despite the layoffs, a Mack Trucks spokesperson stated that the Lehigh Valley facility will remain open.
Democratic state Rep. Josh Siegel, who represents Pennsylvania's 22nd District covering Lehigh County, said the layoffs will be a "devastating blow to Lehigh Valley workers."
"Once again, American workers are being sacrificed at the altar of political theater. The tariffs — erratic, broad and poorly targeted — are crushing core U.S. industries like trucking and manufacturing," Siegel said in a statement. "Supply chains are snarled, costs are soaring, and confidence among employers is collapsing.
"Communities like the Lehigh Valley, built on generations of hard work and industrial pride, are now being asked to carry the burden of this administration's incompetence. These are good-paying union jobs that our community cannot afford to lose. These 350 workers are not just numbers. They are parents, neighbors, veterans and skilled tradespeople who built America's backbone. And they deserve better."
