West Chester trucking company YRC Freight closing, more than 250 jobs cut

More than 250 Tri-State workers at one of the nation's largest trucking companies just learned they will soon be out of a job.

YRC Freight in West Chester is closing as part of a national company restructuring. The West Chester facility is located at 10074 Princeton Glendale Rd.

In a required letter from the trucking company to the Ohio Office of Work Force Development and Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann, the company says 541 positions will be eliminated at the West Chester location. The positions range from billing clerks to mechanics, but the most affected are dock workers and road drivers.

The cuts could include almost 279 jobs. That would account for 142 road workers, 34 mechanics and 103 dock workers.

Officials said the Princeton Glendale Road Distribution Center would shut down because of the budget streamlinging.

That higher number is listed in the letter because the company has to warn the state of the largest number of possible jobs that could be cut.

The West Chester terminal is one of three breakbulk terminals being eliminated during the restructuring. The other two are in St. Louis and Memphis. Other terminals across the country will be consolidated.

Union workers involved in the restructuring will have the option the relocate to another facility in the country.

"If union employees do not follow the work, they will be placed on layoff status as provided for under the [ National Master Freight Agreement ]," the company wrote in the letter.

The local Teamsters Union is fighting for every single job at the West Chester facility and will go to a hearing at a later date.

"We have people who have already gone through this change of operation. They came from Buffalo, they came from Columbus, Detroit, Texas. There have been changes of operation so they've gone through this once already at least and now the Cincinnati guys are going through it with them,” said Butch Lewis, President of Teamsters Union Local No. 100.

An exact date for the closure hasn't been set. The letter says "employees are expected to be separated from employment at the Cincinnati facility between May 12, 2013 and May 25, 2013."

The company says all affected employees have been notified of the closure.

The trucking giant (NASDAQ: YRCW) is based in Overland Park, Kansas and employs between 20,000 and 25,000 members of the Teamsters Union.

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