Monday, December 15, 2014

Navistar Closing Indianapolis Foundry

Slowly but surely the great manufacturing plants which fueled Indianapolis' economy in past decades is disappearing. Crain's Chicago Business reports Navistar is closing its Indianapolis foundry where it makes engine blocks and heads. About 180 good-paying jobs are being eliminated in a move Navistar says will cut its annual operating costs about $13 million a year. An agreement reached with the UAW workers to cut their pay substantially from $25 an hour to $17 an hour averted the plant's closing in 2010 after the company announced in 2009 it intended to close the foundry. In 2011, Mayor Ballard's website boasted of his administration's efforts to keep the plant open and "preserve 200 jobs" after the City awarded tax breaks to the company after it failed to live up to commitments it made when previously offered tax breaks.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Indianapolis metro has functioning neighborhoods on the North Side, north of 38th St., with Carmel/Fishers/Zionsville being the best the city has to offer.

On the West Side, starting at Raceway.

On the South Side, south of Thompson.

The rest of the city is a dump.

Do you think anyone would move to Indy to live at 25th and Arlington?

Anonymous said...

This is a terrible loss for the Irvington area. Navistar on Brookville Road was an excellent employer and most of its employees lived in Irvington, close enough to walk to work if they wanted to. Now I hear our city county council is considering mandating Marion County landlords to accept Section 8 tenants whether they want to or not. What a terrible idea. The few properties in the Irvington community that have gone Section 8, mostly the brilliant idea of a few out of state landlords, have become police run magnets. Ask the cops whether more Section 8 housing will increase or lower crime. Ask the staff of the local small claims eviction Court. I only know my neighborhood. We will miss the good residents who made their careers at Navistar and we wish them luck if they need to sell their homes. And we hope the fools on the city county council realize that mandating every rental property in Indy to become Section 8 will flood our city with poor from a multi-state region. The floodgates will open. Real estate values county wide will plummet and our schools will tank. I really fear the future of this city, which seems guided by morons. Mayor Ballard, wherever you are, please talk to Navistar about another moratorium on this closure.

Anonymous said...

This plant only made spare parts for the Ford Super Duty trucks with Navistar engines. Now that Ford has an ample supply of parts, the plant is no longer needed.

Anonymous said...

This closing has nothing to do with how many parts are made for ford motor company.This foundry makes parts for several manufacturers.Such as Mercury Marine, Caterpillar,US Government.Linemar.And to boot ,all of the parts they make for the International brand trucks.Mark my words (business is not over for good in this plant)It will be reopened under some other name in the near future.There is too much money to be made there.