Ford Motor Company is expected to announce lay-offs at its Hazelwood assembly plant on Monday, part of the agreement to keep the plant open through 2007. State and local officials worked hard to convince Ford to not close the factory. It agreed, but insisted it had to cut jobs to deal with a decline in the demand of the Sport Utility Vehicles it makes there. Hazwelwood employs 2,700 workers, making Ford Explorers, Mercury Mountaineers, and Lincoln Aviators. Ford has released no details about the size, speed and duration of the lay-offs.
