Whether due to market forces or shortages, Jeep Cherokee production has been down quite a bit, and Stellantis has apparently decided that the second shift is not coming back. The company recently sent around 1,100 letters to employees at the Belvidere plant, offering relocation at other facilities, including Toledo, according to local station WREX.
Employees who refuse to move to the new job location will not be paid or get benefits, but will stay on the list to get priority placement in other jobs.
Stellantis issued a statement to the station:
Stellantis currently has full-time job openings at its Toledo Assembly Complex and several Mopar locations. As per the terms of the UAW-FCA collective bargaining agreement, indefinitely laid off employees can be offered full-time opportunities in other labor markets. As a result, the company sent letters on Oct. 8, 2021, to about 1,100 previously indefinitely laid off Belvidere employees offering them the opportunity to staff those positions and return to work.
These employees can either accept or decline the placement. However, as stated in the contract, declining will place them with no company-provided income or benefits, but they will maintain their eligibility for other job opportunities. Laid off employees who fail to respond to the letter will be terminated.
We understand this may be a difficult decision for a number of our employees and their families, but it is our goal to get as many people as possible back to full-time employment.
