‘It’s a sad day’: Stellantis workers attend exit meeting - WIFR

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ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Jackie Wright planned on staying at the Belvidere Assembly plant for a few more years.

However, the 34-year employee decided to retire when parent company Stellantis announced last December that it would idle the plant on Feb. 28.

“If it does open back up, I don’t think it will be the same,” Wright said, adding that she’s lucky to be getting a full pension and $50,000 in cash. But, some of her co-workers are taking relocation packages because they’re not yet eligible to call it career.

“They have other choices to make,” she said. “So they can still get a little bit of money out of it and move.”

Although Stellantis has openings in places like Michigan and Ohio, for the majority of Belvidere Assembly’s 1,200-person workforce, they’re stuck in the stateline, forced to file for unemployment or look for other jobs.

“It’s a sad day to tell you the truth,” said Richard Smith, who is retiring after 29 years. “A lot of people, they have families. And they thought they had secure employment. Chrysler has been here since 1965, and they’ve made over 11 million cars there.”

While the company says it has options for the Belvidere plant, workers fear that what’s being called a six-month shutdown could be permanent.

“All the signs are there that it’s not going to be an automobile facility anymore,” Smith said. “That’s sad for the community and all the people who need employment.”

Talks between Gov. JB Pritzker’s office, Belvidere officials, and Stellantis about repurposing the 60-year-old plant are ongoing, however, plans about its future have not been announced.

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‘It’s a sad day’: Stellantis workers attend exit meeting - WIFR
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