Job cuts at Caterpillar, Oerlikon Fairfield in Lafayette plants

About 250 employees will lose their jobs at the Caterpillar large engine manufacturing plant in Lafayette, the company said on Thursday.

And 35 Oerlikon Fairfield workers will be laid off indefinitely effect Friday, vice president of human resources Jim Mills said.

"General business conditions are soft," he said. "In the event business would improve, there would be an opportunity for recall."

The cuts at Caterpillar affect 50 full-time production workers and about 200 employment agency workers who will be laid off by June.