Fiat Chrysler plans to lay off 92, close Toledo transportation facility
10/26/2017
Fiat Chrysler officials have announced they intend to permanently close a Toledo trucking facility.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fiat Chrysler officials intend to permanently close a Toledo transportation terminal and lay off 92 employees there.
The terminal, located at 5925 Hagman Road, is a hub for the transportation of parts and components between plants.
A notice dated Wednesday and sent to union leaders and Ohio’s Department of Jobs & Family Services said: “The plant closing will be permanent and will involve the entire facility.”
Jodi Tinson, a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles spokesman, said some of the affected workers could end up working in the Toledo Assembly Complex. In a statement the company said, 88 hourly workers "may have the option to retire, accept early retirement packages if offered or transfer to the Detroit Terminal."
"There will be no loss of jobs," Ms. Tinson said.
She said that the facility is being closed because, "we are not a trucking company. There are plenty of trucking companies out there. This is not a core business for us. Therefore we we are putting our resources into our core business, rather than something we can't be competitive in."
The company has not yet decided who will transport parts and components after the facility closes, she said.
Layoffs will begin on Jan. 2, or within two weeks thereafter, the notice states. Three subsequent waves of job cuts will occur starting Jan. 15, Feb. 5, and Feb. 28. The largest single number of layoffs will occur in the Feb. 5 wave, when 59 employees will be laid off, including six transportation dispatchers and 43 interstate drivers.
The notice also states some of the affected employees are represented by United Auto Workers Local 12.
“Affected employees who are represented by UAW Local 12 will have bumping rights as set forth in the applicable collective bargaining agreement and that process will be managed with the employees’ bargaining representatives,” the notice states. “There are no bumping rights for the unrepresented employees.”
Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW Local 12, could not be reached for comment Thursday night.
Contact Mark Zaborney at mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.