One company is planning to cut more than 200 Illinois manufacturing jobs.

Baltimore Aircoil has announced its plan to close a plant in Paxton and eliminate 220 Illinois jobs by June. The company makes cooling equipment for commercial buildings. According to an article by the Chicago Tribune, the company is eliminating positions because of the economic recession and slowdown in commercial construction.

The company, which is based in Baltimore, Md., also plans to consolidate its manufacturing operations in Madera, Calif., and Milford, Del.

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Could a new agenda of cost-saving measures effect those with Illinois government jobs?

Gov. Pat Quinn recently announced a series of cost-saving measures in an effort to help Illinois with an expected $9 billion budget deficit for the 2009 and 2010 budget. The changes effect all state agencies and the fiscal 2009 budget immediately.

“Quick and decisive action is needed to address Illinois’ unprecedented budgetary crisis,” Quinn said in a press release. “Better financial management and increased belt-tightening are necessary as we begin to deal with this serious problem. I want everyone in Illinois to know that we are working every day to solve this budget crisis and restore the state’s fiscal health.”

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If the pending federal stimulus bill passes, many Illinois jobs could be created and the state could start seeing the benefits within to weeks.

The stimulus would mean about 200,000 jobs in Illinois would be created or saved during the next two years. The stimulus also would have benefits for the unemployed, as it would increase the length and size of unemployment payments, according to an article by The Register-Mail.

The $827 billion proposed bill also would give Illinois at least $2.5 billion for Medicare and $1 billion for schools. Illinois also would get to compete for funding for other projects, such as expansion of Internet broadband, but broadband expansion and other programs will require matching funds from state government.

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A large foreign car company is cutting hundreds of automotive jobs in Illinois.

Mitsubishi Motors, which is based in Japan, is planning to cut 300 Illinois jobs as the company plans to slip into the red during the current financial year because of weak sales and a strong yen. The company announced in November that it would cut 1,100 jobs by laying off one third of its temporary domestic workforce, according to an article by Google News.

The company’s plant in Illinois currently employs 1,600 workers, but that number will be reduced to 1,300 after the job cuts, some of which will come from voluntary retirements. Mitsubishi also is considering cutting production capacity at a Russian plant it’s building with PSA Peugeot-Citroen from the originally-estimated 160,000 vehicles per year.

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