Some account services staff members also were laid off. The three layoffs would represent 8.6 percent of Bozell's 35-employee operation. The maker of reinforced fabrics for the aerospace industry said most of the plant's 43 employees would lose their jobs. The company intends to eliminate 75 salaried employees by mid-October during the first phase of cutbacks, with additional job losses to be determined at the beginning of next year. The plant is the sole source of nuclear fuel and components for the Navy.
Cotton prices are high and supplies are scarce.
Import apparel prices beat domestic. By November, seven textile plants in the Chattanooga area will be shut down and 800 people will be unemployed. Lanier, which employs 450 people to manufacture men's suits, will close plants in Decherd and Winchester in November. The closings follow three in Chattanooga last month. Duckster Apparel in Ooltewah will close by Nov. 1.