INDIANPAOLIS -- Rexnord CEO Todd Adams again said the company is unwilling to reconsider moving its Indianapolis plant to Mexico in a phone call Thursday with Mayor Joe Hogsett and Sen. Joe Donnelly.
Donelly's office said the call came after Rexnord had declined to speak with the senator for more than a month, and after Hogsett offered to fly to Wisconsin to discuss the company's plans to move.
“Today’s call with the Rexnord CEO confirms that the company is chasing cheap wages in Mexico," Donnelly said in a written statement. "When corporations make decisions like this, Hoosier families and our communities pay the price. I am committed to doing everything possible to support the Hoosier workers impacted by Rexnord’s decision and that includes supporting efforts to obtain federal benefits that help workers find new jobs or get skills training. I also will support efforts by the city of Indianapolis to claw back tax incentives.”
The United Steelworkers Union Local 1999 announced Monday that Rexnord had made its decision final and that severance and benefits talks would begin this week.
MORE | Rexnord makes decision final, will move 350 jobs out of Indianapolis to Mexico
“For years, Indianapolis and hundreds of hardworking families have invested in Rexnord to sustain and grow its local workforce," Hogsett said in a written statement. "Despite every offer I have made and the good-faith efforts of its employees, Rexnord has decided they would rather pursue blind profit than invest in Indianapolis. I made clear to Rexnord’s CEO today that they couldn’t be more wrong. In a competitive global marketplace, Rexnord is making an ill-advised decision to cast aside the quality, productivity and experience of their long-time, dedicated Indianapolis employees to chase cheap labor.”
Hogsett says Indianapolis will provide aid to the roughly 350 employees affected by the move in the form of job search and financial planning help, similar to what Carrier workers will receive.
