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One year later: Many Carrier employees still unsure of their future

Posted at 7:48 PM, Feb 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-10 19:52:28-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- It’s been a whirlwind year for employees at Carrier’s Indianapolis plant. 

On February 10, 2016, the company announced it was moving 1,400 jobs to Monterrey, Mexico.

A video of that announcement went viral – putting the company and the state in the national spotlight.

For months, workers rallied to get national attention and beg for their jobs to be saved.

Then in December Donald Trump, fresh off an election win, stepped in to help.

After a number of tweets threatening Carrier and promising to save their jobs, Trump visited Indianapolis to announce that his administration had struck a deal with the company to keep over 800 of those jobs in the state. 

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But even with the president’s deal, 550 of those jobs will be sent to Mexico by the end of the year.

The first of those layoffs could begin as early as July – with 250 jobs expected to go in the first round. The rest will find out when they receive their pink slips over the remaining months.

Denise Gill has been working at Carrier since May of 2014. Not long enough, she said, to know for sure if her job will still be around at the end of the year.

“Carrier gave us a chance to continue working, so that’s the plus of it. The minus is that a lot of people are still losing their jobs at the end,” said Gill.

So how will the company decide who gets to stay and who will go?

Workers will be chosen based on seniority.

Specific names won’t be known until the union and company meet for negotiations. It’s possible some of those facing layoffs could see their jobs spared if there are enough employees who take severance packages or opt for retirement.

FULL CARRIER COVERAGE: DOCUMENTARY SERIES: Moving to Mexico with 1,400 of Indy's lost jobs Jilted workers get first look at Carrier's offer | TIMELINE: Carrier to ship 1,400 jobs from Indiana to Mexico | Trump made money off of Carrier in 2015 | Carrier president: More growth expected in '16 | Ex-Carrier employee sentenced for embezzlement | Carrier pay in Mexico questioned | Carrier refutes offer of $5.85/hour for workers to stay in Indy | Coats, Donnelly have 'disappointing' meeting with Carrier execs |  Sen. Donnelly: Carrier never cited federal regulations as reason for move | Union president: 'We're not going away quietly' | Carrier employees protest move at Statehouse | Pence on Carrier meeting: 'I don't want to create any false hope for people' Moving to Mexico: What you need to know about Monterrey, Mexico  | Moving to Mexico: On the ground in Monterrey, Mexico, where Carrier is moving  Trump weights in on Carrier relocation to Mexico  | Carrier: Company did not receive $5M in federal stimulus funds  | President of United Steelworkers Union: No hope of saving 1,400 jobs  | Carrier employees, local businesses reel after announcement of move to Mexico  | WATCH: Employees react to news that Carrier is moving from Indy to Mexico | Bernie Sanders: Carrier held Trump hostage | Presidential parallel: President Obama and President-elect Trump both use Indiana jobs as first act