Towson-based power tool maker Black & Decker this week said it would cut its U.S. work force by 125 employees.
“We told some people that we’re eliminating positions and reorganizing our power tools business,” said Roger Young, vice president of investor and media relations for Black & Decker.
“The economy is in a downturn, particularly in our sectors, so we want to make sure we’re at the right size for our operations,” Young said.
Young said a majority of the layoffs were occurring in the sales area and not in the Baltimore area. Black & Decker employs about 20,000 people nationwide.
“They’re mostly field employees, not people from the headquarters,” Young said.
Black & Decker is one of two Fortune 500 companies with headquarters in the Baltimore area, along with Constellation Energy Group. The company has faced a slowdown in sales because of the weak housing market and general economy. The firm reduced its work force by about 10 percent in the first half of 2008.
