Cooper Hosiery Mills Inc.

Another Alabama sock company is laying off hundreds of workers and reducing production because of the tough economic times. Cooper Hosiery Mills in Fort Payne reports that it plans to lay off about 250 employees. That's more than a quarter of its workforce. The head of the DeKalb Economic Development Authority said many of the cuts are linked to the problems businesses are having obtaining loans. He says DeKalb County has lost almost half of its 6,000 jobs in the sock industry since 2005.