United Steelworkers Local 1999 says it has finished negotiating a severance package deal with Rexnord. The ball bearings plant is relocating about 300 jobs from Indianapolis to Mexico. The union president calls the deal a Band-Aid for laid-off workers.
Rexnord employees will receive $1,500 dollars, one week's pay for each year of service at the company, and six months of continued medical, dental and vision insurance.
It's similar to the deal Local 1999 negotiated with Carrier before that company decided to reverse some of its planned layoffs.
There's been no such decision at Rexnord, and union local president Chuck Jones says he's disappointed in what he calls the company's "heartless" decision to shut down the plant. He says the severance package is small comfort for employees who will lose their jobs starting in February.
The union applied for Trade Adjustment Assistance – a federal program that helps workers who lose their jobs as a result of foreign trade – but the request has not yet been approved.