Courier-Times Staff Report
Many Metaldyne employees were sent home on Thursday when the plant temporarily stopped its production of Chrysler products.
Corporate Spokesperson Marge Sorge said the halt was in response to Chrysler Corp.'s announcement that it would file bankruptcy.
According to Associated Press reports, the company will stop its vehicle production while it completes its deal with Italian carmaker Fiat.
Sorge said other auto suppliers are doing the same thing.
"There's no Chrysler product to build product for," she said, "so you have to close that part of the plant."
The rest of the plant will remain open, Sorge said. But she added that Chrysler makes up about 70 percent of the plant. On Thursday evening, she didn't have an estimate of how many employees that would affect.
Harry Chase, president of United Auto Workers Local 371, said he was at home when he got the call telling him what had happened.
He'd expected something to happen after Chrysler's announcement, he said, he just wasn't sure what that would be. He was surprised when he heard what had happened.
It's being considered a temporary layoff, he said. A meeting planned for this morning will give him more information. He won't know more until then, he said.
"I'm still in the dark, really," he said.
The Michigan-based plant also produces auto parts for Ford, General Motors and Toyota vehicles. It's owned by Japanese company Asahi Tec.
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