AAA in Midwest lays off 550

DETROIT, March 17 (UPI) -- The Midwest Division of AAA Auto Clubs is laying off 550 people to reduce operating costs, the Detroit News reported Wednesday.

AAA headquarters in Heathrow, Fla., said the Midwest Division is the only one of the not-for-profit organization's clubs around the nation to be affected.

"What is going on there would not affect the balance of Triple-A motor clubs," said Geoff Sundstrom, spokesman for the Triple-A national office in Heathrow, Fla.

The News said 218 of those laid off are in Michigan. The cuts represent 5 percent of the state's workforce of about 4,000 workers.

The division covers eight states -- Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

AAA spokeswoman Nancy Cain said the layoffs are the result of a recent business review. She said they would take place over the next nine months.

"We took a long, hard look at our operations to see where there was a duplication of efforts or we saw we could streamline our operations," she said.