From United Press International
HOLLAND, MI — Automotive supplier Johnson Controls is moving 885 jobs from Holland, Mich., to Mexico in another blow to the state’s manufacturing sector.
The company plans to phase out visor product at its Southview plant in Holland and a plant in Glasgow, Ky., where 180 workers will lose jobs. Production will be relocated to a plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, over 18 months.
“We are not just talking about 885 jobs, we’re talking about 885 families who are having a very emotional time at the dinner table tonight,” Mayor Al McGeehan told The Holland Sentinel.
Johnson Controls officials said they had to move visor production to remain competitive.
The company has about 5,000 employees in Holland and 35,000 in western Michigan. Visor workers in Michigan averaged about $16 an hour while Mexican workers are paid around $2.25 an hour — $360 a month, the newspaper said.
Johnson Controls Inc. has 77,000 employees in 28 countries and posted record profits of $682.9 million in 2003.
Copyright 2004 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
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