Only US Mitsubishi Plant Lays Off 1035 Workers

[stewert]

Normal Illinois - More than 1,000 union workers at Mitsubishi Motors' only U.S. plant were handed layoff notices this week, cutbacks announced this summer as part of a global revival plan that the struggling Japanese company has called its last chance to survive as an automaker.

The seniority-based layoffs will cut deep into a veteran work force at the Normal plant, costing the jobs of 1,035 workers hired since late 1989, company spokesman Dan Irvin said. Production began in 1988 at the highly automated factory, which employs more than 3,100.

Longtime workers said Friday they were prepared for the bad news because of the plant's highly senior work force, which Irvin said is about double the auto industry average.

"Some people are looking on the bright side. Some are bitter. Most of the bitter ones are the people who have been here 15 years and found out that's not enough to stay," said Arnold McKinnis, who will lose his job after 10 years with Mitsubishi.

About 900 production workers will be laid off Sept. 24, while 135 others will stay on a few more weeks to help with the plant's transition from two shifts to one, Irvin said. The plant ended its second shift Friday and will go to a single shift Oct. 4. Nonunion workers also face layoffs, but no number or timetable has been set, Irvin said.

He expects the total union and nonunion cuts will be near the 1,200 target set when the automaker announced the layoffs in July to battle a $6 billion debt from bad credit, recall scandals and plunging sales.

Full Story:

http://www.pjstar.com/news/topnews/b46pbr80046.html

[displacedtexan]

1. I lived there when that plant opened.

To read the Daily Paragraph (Actually, The Daily Pantagraph- the paper that wants an apology from Michael Moore), you would have thought that the Mitsubishi plant was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

In reality, the Town of Normal's deal meant that Mitsubishi paid no tax, no part of the cost for new and improved roads, and the school system paid all costs related to a special Saturday Japanese School for the plant's Japanese workers' children.

Lots of ancillary businesses (supply businesses, etc.) built buildings next to the plant. What will they do now?

Mitsubishi of Normal provided a few good local jobs, but most high salary workers were brought in.

This plant is also the site of the biggest sex discrimination suit in US corporate history (until Wal-Mart).

When Normal sealed the deal, thousands of hopeful Grapes Of Wrath families descended upon Bloomington/Normal and sucked every social program resource completely dry. When services ran out, you'd see people standing at intersections with "Will Work For Food" signs.

Mitsubishi Normal was a colossal blunder. Many of us always knew that the plant could just close up and move away at any time without remorse, leaving Normal and McLean County to foot the bill and deal with the aftermath.




On Edit: Dan Irvin used to be a locally-celebrated rightwing AM Radio Talk Jock.

[AmerDem]

2. Mitsubishi is in deep financial trouble

Chrysler ended their relationship with them and their vehicles over the years were poorly made and designed. I personally replaced 2 engines and 1 transmission in a matter of 2 years on an Eclipse model.