Office Max, TicketsNow, US Steel see cuts

OfficeMax Inc., TicketsNow.com, and U.S. Steel are among the companies that announced hundreds of layoffs Thursday amid a rocky economy and an urgency to cut operational costs.

Naperville-based OfficeMax said it plans to lay off 245 workers at its North American stores. The company said in a statement that the reductions would save around $20 million in operational costs and spend about $8.5 million in severances.

"Challenging economic conditions require we take proactive steps to maintain a solid business position that will support long-term growth," OfficeMax CEO Sam Duncan said in a statement. A company spokesman was not immediately available for further comment.

Rolling Meadows-based TicketsNow.com, a ticket repeller that was acquired earlier this year by Ticketmaster, is expected to lay off 62 workers and close its Crystal Lake call center. Another 26 employees will be retained and get other positions, said TicketsNow spokeswoman Jennifer Swanson.

Ticketmaster has planned for $35 million in cost reductions designed to eliminate redundancies, Swanson said. In January, TicketsNow said it would be acquired by Ticketmaster for about $265 million. At that time, it had more than 200 employees.

In addition, Pittsburgh-based United States Steel Corp. said Thursday it has laid off 675 workers, or about 3 percent of its production workers in the United States and Canada, as a global economic slowdown cuts into demand for steel used in construction, autos and appliances. The affected union members are at plants near Pittsburgh; Gary and Portage, Ind.; Ecorse and River Rouge, Mich.; Granite City, Ill.; and Fairfield, Ala.

•Associated Press contributed to this story.