USW Extremely Disappointed in Cooper Standard Closure Plans

For more information contact: Tony Montana (USW) – 412-562-2592

TOLEDO, Ohio – The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that the union is extremely disappointed to have received a letter from Cooper Standard Automotive, Inc. that discloses the company’s intent to close its Bowling Green, Ohio Hose Manufacturing Plant.

The employees are represented by USW Local 1152L, and it is undisputed that the workers in Bowling Green are more productive and self-directed than the employees at the other Cooper Standard facilities.

According to the company, the production work from the plant will be shifted to Cooper Standard plants in Altacomulco, Mexico and Mt. Sterling, Ky. based on the low-cost labor structure in Mexico and tax incentives and grants offered by the state of Kentucky.

The USW will demand to bargain with Cooper Standard over their decision and apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance benefits for the members who will be impacted by this closure. The layoff is expected to begin in April and take place in phases for a 12 to 18 month period.

The union called the decision to close the Bowling Green facility especially unjust because USW members agreed to a contact which increased productivity and lowered the overall labor costs in the last round of negotiations.

The union said Cooper Standard’s decision to exploit Mexico’s lower wage structure underscores the need for trade law reform in the United States, as Americans can no longer afford to let good, family-supporting manufacturing jobs leave the country while foreign-made products that used to be made domestically sold back to us as imports.

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