Marysville prepares for possible closing of Mopar plant after strike

After picketing outside the Chrysler Mopar Marysville facility for a month, its employees are coming to terms with news of the plant's possible closure.

Several members of the United Auto Workers Union in Marysville said that after a deal was reached between the Big Three auto manufacturers and the union, they were told the Marysville plant would be shut down as part of the agreement reached.

The Mopar facility has been operated by Chrysler since 1936, employing 288 hourly employees.

Marysville Mayor Kathy Hayman and City Manager Randall Fernandez said they had both heard the plant was closing, but that Stellantis has made no official announcement.

In a statement emailed to the Times Herald, Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson would not say whether the company had plans to close down the parts distribution center in Marysville.

"As the agreement with the UAW has just been ratified, we have not made any announcements about plans for Marysville," Tinson wrote in an email. "At the appropriate time, we'll communicate with the employees first."

Ron Scott, president of the local UAW chapter, did not respond to a request for comment.

Mopar employees said they already heard the news from UAW Vice President Rich Boyer. Several of them said he visited the plant in person to give them the news.

It was a shock for Michael Wurmlinger, who has worked at the plant since 1993. He's the third generation of his family to work at the Marysville plant.

His grandparents, Anton and Elsie Wurmlinger, both worked there starting in 1942, with Anton taking a break to fight in World War II. He returned from the war and went right back to working at the plant.

Eventually their son, Michael's father Daniel Wurmlinger, joined the plant and worked his way up to management. Michael said several of the workers remembered his father fondly. He said the "oldtimers" would talk about him and share stories.

"These days they call us the oldtimers," Michael said.

Beyond the Wurmlingers, there are several other employees who have worked at the Mopar facility for generations. When they heard the plant may be shut down, Michael Wurmlinger said it was a shock for several employees.

"Over the years there's been talk and we've heard rumors Marysville was going to close, but it never happened," he said.

A document given to union members explained they would have the chance to transfer to a distribution center in Belvedere, Illinois.

UAW members were also told they may be able to transfer to jobs in Romeo, which would be about a 45 minute drive from Marysville.

Michael said he and several other workers expressed their displeasure to Boyer, but were told the alternative was they all lost their jobs.

Hayman said Marysville receives about $150,000 in tax revenue through the plant.

"We've got to figure out how to make that up," Hayman said. "Obviously we're upset about this. They've been a major employer in the community."

Fernandez said he's avoiding jumping to conclusions since Stellantis has yet to officially announce it plans to close down the plant. In preparation, however, he said the city is considering other employers who may be able to make use of the plant's facilities, which are owned by Stellantis.

It will be a hard search, Fernandez said, because the plant covers 80 acres, space few companies would need.

With no official announcement or timetable, it could be years before the workers have to enact any plans for the plant's closing. Michael Wurmlinger said he's begun holding a prayer meeting during lunch hours for workers struggling with the possibility.

Michael Wurmlinger is hoping he can transfer to a closer location that will not require him to move, but even the plant closing will mean the loss of a community he's been a part of since birth.

Union members came to feel like family, he said. Workers have regularly raised money among themselves and the community when one of their members had a family member die, or during the 2008 financial crisis.

When two managers at the plant died within months of each other, Michael Wurmlinger remembered the union planting two trees in front of the plant to honor them.

When his son, Jordan Wurmlinger, graduated high school and left for college, coworkers sent him graduation letters, even if they didn't know Jordan personally.

"Working in a factory isn't a dream, but it's been a good place to work," Michael Wurmlinger said.

Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Marysville prepares for possible closing of Mopar plant after strike