400 Dell Workers Lose Jobs Today

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Today is the last day on the job for about half of the workers at the Dell plant scheduled to close by the end of January.

More than 400 employees will lose their jobs today, leaving approximately 400 more still working.

The plant is scheduled to shut down completely by January 20, according to a Dell spokesman. Approximately 905 employees will be affected by the closure, which is part of a companywide plan to save $4 billion a year by 2011.

Before Dell opened the plant in 2005, the company was promised more than $300 million in state and local incentives. But it was required to invest $100 million, create 1,700 jobs by September 2010 and maintain those jobs for 10 more years. If those terms weren't met, the company would forfeit the incentive package.

Dell has already paid back more than $26 million in incentives it received from the City of Winston-Salem.

Dell has plants in Miami, Nashville, Austin, Texas, Brazil, Ireland, Poland, China, Malaysia and India. It also partners with other manufacturers to make certain products.