Nov 18, 2008 10:36 pm US/Central
Big 3 Automakers In Trouble: Impact On Local Town
BELVIDERE, Ill. (CBS) ―
-
-
The future of the entire Belvidere community rides on the local Chrysler plant.
CBS
The Big Three automakers say they're running on empty. The CEO's of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors went to Capitol Hill Tuesday, and they pleaded for more money. They say if they don't get it, they could collapse by the end of this year and that would mean hundreds of thousands of layoffs.
CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports from Belvidere where the future of the entire community rides on the local Chrysler plant.
The Take 20 bar just down the road from the Chrysler plant in Belvidere used to open at 6 a.m. But when the plant eliminated its third shift in March, the early crowd here went with it.
"You hear about them maybe potentially losing homes, having to cut back on things, making it difficult to feed their families," said Take 20 bartender Belinda Cronk. "It makes it very tough when you hear about things like that because these people get to be your friends."
The plant employs some 2600 workers who've all been offered a buyout this year.
Bill Hamilton says he works for one of more than half a dozen companies supplying parts directly to Chrysler's Belvidere plant - companies who depend on the plant's success. He says a government buyout for the auto industry isn't optional - it's necessary.
"I don't think most people understand that this buyout actually provides income for a multitude of people, not just the workers at Chrysler," Hamilton said.
Workers at the Belvidere plant assemble the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot. But U.S. sales for Chrysler vehicles have fallen some 35 percent over the last year.
The mayor of this town of 24,000 says the drop in sales nationally is hurting auto dealers here at home, too.
Some workers in Belvidere say they are taking the buyout because they're unsure about the future of the company. For others, it offers some stability.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Celebrity Watcher: Real Or Fake?
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
