10 months after the Manchester Tool Company in New Franklin, Ohio closed, most of the 100 laid-off employees are still struggling to make ends meet. Many of these workers are now facing serious financial troubles that make health insurance and mortgage payments increasingly difficult to pay. The situation is particularly dire for older employees, who are more likely to have trouble finding new jobs. Salaried workers, on the other hand, seem to have faired better than hourly workers ? a result that can likely be credited to more education and transferable skills sets. The devastating situation in this town is analogous to a larger national trend: 3.6 million jobs have been lost since December of 2007.
See "Months After Plant Closed, Many Still Struggling", Michael Luo, The New York Times, February 9, 2009