Union Head Calls Carrier Deal ‘Major Victory’
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe head of the local union representing 1,400 Carrier Corp. workers affected by plans to move operations to Mexico says he has yet to speak with company or Trump administration officials about an agreement to keep approximately 1,000 of those jobs in the city. United Steelworkers Local 1999 President Chuck Jones says, despite being a critic of President-elect Donald Trump in the past, he wants "to give the man credit" for helping put together the deal.
Jones spoke with Inside INdiana Business while meeting with officials from Wisconsin-based Rexnord Corp. (NYSE: RXN), which has announced plans to move 300 Indianapolis jobs to Mexico.
Trump and Vice President-elect Governor Mike Pence will be in Indianapolis Thursday to make the official announcement. Jones says he expects to meet with administration and Carrier officials at that time.
Carrier announced Tuesday that it had reached an agreement to keep close to 1,000 jobs in Indianapolis. That comes after an announcement earlier this year that it would move approximately 1,400 jobs from a plant on the southwest side of the city to Monterrey, Mexico. Parent company United Technologies Corp. also has a plant in Huntington, which is scheduled to lose about 700 jobs to Mexico. The company also made that announcement in February. That plant is not part of the deal.
Rexnord announced earlier this month that its decision to move around 300 jobs from its Indianapolis bearings plant to Mexico was final. In October, when Rexnord first unveiled the plans, Jones said, "The plant was very profitable. They’re probably the number one bearing producer in this country. Their quality was excellent, but once again, we’re competing against $3 an hour Mexican wages."
Jones says he is talking with Rexnord leaders about the potential ripple effects of the Carrier deal.