Vestas cuts worker hours at US blade plants to preserve jobs

Vestas in early January will reduce the work week for hourly employees at two US blade factories, a move to preserve jobs amid a wind industry slowdown that has resulted in a significant reduction in 2013 turbine orders, the company says.

An unspecified number of employees at plants in Brighton and Windsor, Colorado, will move from a 40-hour to a 32-hour work week. They will retain their health and other employee benefits.

“Vestas is committed to its Colorado factories and treating its employees with respect,” the company says in a statement emailed to Recharge.

It says the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment has approved a work-share program for Vestas. It pays employees' wages for the lost hours on a pro-rated basis from an unemployment insurance trust fund. The benefits are available for up…

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