Newark, Ohio (AP) -- The Longaberger Basket Company is laying off 295 employees and reducing the wages of salaried workers, including the company president.
The Newark-based company says Chief Executive Officer Tami Longaberger will take the largest pay cut, of 15 percent.
The cuts include 120 management positions and 175 manufacturing jobs.
The company says all the laid off workers can apply for seasonal positions that become available next month.
Tami Longaberger says the layoff decisions were difficult but necessary given the hard economic times.
The company says it's continuing a new, more environmentally friendly process for making its handcrafted baskets, and also continuing a Made-In-America pottery line.
The company has about 2,000 employees. It uses independent sales consultants around the country to sell products directly to consumers.
(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
