Union: Fiat Says Jeep Wrangler Staying in Ohio, Not Cherokee

[Omaha Steve]

Source: ABC News

By JOHN SEEWER

Fiat Chrysler assembly plant managers told workers Tuesday that Jeep Wrangler production will stay in the city where the vehicle's roots date to World War II, but they also delivered a surprising announcement that the Jeep Cherokee line would be sent out of state, union leaders said.

It's not clear how the moves might affect job numbers at the plant, which employs about 6,000.

But managers told workers that employment levels would not be affected, although they didn't provide details on how that would happen, said Bruce Baumhower, president of United Auto Workers Local 12.

Over half of the plant's employees work on the Cherokee.

FULL story at link.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/union-fiat-jeep-wrangler-staying-ohio-cherokee-33466168

[brush]

1. Hope moving Cherokee production "out of state" does not mean out of the country.

[dieter]

2. Fiat Chrysler already has production facilities in China & Brazil for Cherokee.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Cherokee goes to one of those places. Brazil might be higher on the list than China due to transportation costs.

[brush]

3. Tsk tsk! These corporations don't care about Americans and their jobs

There was an OP not to long ago here about tariffs.

It we had import tariffs like many other countries do it wouldn't be profitable for these manufacturers to make automobiles overseas, bare the shipping costs to our shores and still make more profits than if they made the cars here with American labor.

[Amishman]

5. we do have tariffs on some vehicle imports, and it killed the small pickup

Read up on the 25% 'chicken tax' on imported light trucks, which is a big factor in why you can't get smaller more fuel efficient pickups in this country anymore. There isn't quite enough demand to build them here, and the tariff makes it not cost effective to import them from other markets.

[brush]

6. That proves the effectiveness of tariffs to me

Too bad we don't have them on these other imports.

Thousands of jobs could come back here and American-made cars would be much more competitive.

Can't say that I'm upset about the tariffs on small pickups.

[whatthehey]

7. Well by the standards used in DU discussion about GM

where making Buicks in China for the Chinese was considered stealing American jobs, any single Jeep employee in Ohio is stealing an Italian job in the first place.

Wild bullshit of course, but apparently so is any concern for consistency on this topic.

[brush]

8. Don't get your point

Are you saying keeping jobs here is not a good thing?

[pampango]

9. Speculation is that it will move to either Illinois or Michigan.

Cherokee production could move to either the Sterling Height Assembly plant in Michigan or the Belvidere Assembly plant in Illinois. Both plants are capable of manufacturing the extremely popular Unitbody SUV since the Cherokee shares the same platform as the Chrysler 200, which is built in Sterling Heights, as well as the Dodge Dart, which is built in Belvidere.

http://www.fourwheeler.com/news/1509-a-jeep-pickup-is-coming-wrangler-production-staying-put-cherokee-moving/

I believe that Michigan is a right-to-work state. Illinois and Ohio are not. My guess is that Cherokee production will land in Michigan for that reason.

The Donald will not get to threaten Fiat Chrysler with tariffs. Instead he will be happy because he extolls the virtues of right-to-work states to make the demands of unions more 'reasonable'.

[bluedigger]

10. They will need room to build the new Wrangler pick up!

Makes sense to build them in the same factory as they will share a lot more parts than the Wrangler and Cherokee do.
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015/09/the-jeep-wrangler-pickup-truck-is-finally-going-to-happen.html