Mayor Emanuel Lauds United Auto Workers Approval of Labor Contract with Ford Motor Company and Creation of 1,200 Jobs for Chicagoans
Third shift will be added at local plant; hundreds of additional jobs created at supplier park across the street.
Mayor Emanuel today announced that 1,200 manufacturing jobs will be created in Chicago’s Ford Motor Company plant on Torrence Avenue, a result of the favorable national vote from the United Auto Workers union that approved a new labor contract.
“I am pleased that Ford is making this additional investment in Chicago and creating 1,200 high-paying jobs for the City’s hard-working, dedicated workforce,” Mayor Emanuel said. “Ford’s increased presence in Chicago bolsters our economic competitiveness and demonstrates that Chicago is a city on the move where businesses are growing and creating new opportunity.”
1,200 manufacturing jobs will be created in Chicago initially as part of the new contract, which will bring a third shift to the plant on Torrence Avenue. Currently, the plant produces Ford Taurus, Ford SHO, and Lincoln MKS vehicles; the new shift would be to produce Police Interceptor vehicles for use by law enforcement across the country.
In addition to the 1,200 manufacturing jobs at the plant, several hundred additional jobs will be created across the street from the Ford facility as part of Ford’s only North American supplier park, which will grow to support the third shift. 230 of these jobs will directly support the production of the Police Interceptor. Additional manufacturing and support jobs are expected to be created over time.
"I want to thank Mayor Emanuel and his team for working on key infrastructure issues that will support Ford's increased production in Chicago and new jobs," said Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company’s president of The Americas.
The agreement to provide the jobs in Chicago will also pave the way for 400 jobs to be added to Ford’s nearby facility in Chicago Heights, which produces materials that support the facilities in Chicago.
The new jobs in Chicago came together with no incentives from the city of Chicago. Mayor Emanuel has been working with Ford to discuss the company’s employment needs over the past several years, and since he took office has worked actively to make sure that Chicago received a sizeable increase in jobs as part of the national agreement.
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