WEEK: Mossville’s Caterpillar Workers want answers
The Peoria TV station says UAW Local 974 is skeptical of claims that the economy is the driver behind the 800 layoffs announced last month at the Mossville, Illinois, engine plant.
UAW Local 974 president Rick Doty says the layoffs will not only impact those working the lines.
“People in the community of Peoria and surrounding areas ought to be up in arms about it because it impacts not only the 814 people it impacts the entire community”, said Doty.
But the more than 800 workers are still shrugging their shoulders.The Mossville engine plant will be shut down, while Caterpillar recently announced a new Engine Plant to
be constructed in Texas.
I feel for anybody who felt there’d be a future working in a factory — I’d like to think it’s tough love for the company to tell folks essentially “find a better line of work, it’s for your own good.” But it’s just business.
Not much consolation I can offer to those about to be out of work; I can say that things worked out much better for me after I got laid off from my one and only factory job, but I had good luck and family intervention on my side.