UPS lays off 400 in northern Kentucky, officials say jobs safe in Louisville

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LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - As UPS prepares to layoff more than 400 workers at a logistics center in northern Kentucky, WAVE 3 questioned company officials whether there's any indication of job cuts in Louisville.

"UPS is rock solid in Louisville," Mike Mangeot said, UPS Worldport Public Relations Manager. "What happened in northern Kentucky is we had a customer, Zulily, that decided to in-source their warehousing and distribution operation."

A similar operation is in Louisville near the Outer Loop - part of the company's logistics business. UPS is expanding there. "We just opened a new building and invested millions," Mangeot said.

That doesn't mean Louisville is immune to the unexpected. "We like to be on an upward path and hope to continue that way. Packages equal jobs. So it all depends on customer shipping levels," he said.

The company announced Wednesday that 430 employees will be let go beginning in mid-March at the sprawling facility in Hebron, Kentucky.

The layoffs stem from a decision by online retailer Zulily to handle its own logistics operations for order processing and inventory management - duties that have been handled by UPS in Hebron.

The laid off workers were notified last week along with state and local officials. Most are hourly workers, and about 100 are temporary employees.

Approximately 20,000 people work for UPS in the Louisville metro. Another 3,000 are employed across the commonwealth.

For now, the company claims it's here for the long haul.

"We're very much part of the fabric in this community and are here for the long term," Mangeot said.