Manufacturing plants to shutdown Monday

ANDERSON, Ind. -- Delco Remy International Inc. plans to complete the shutdown of its starter and alternator manufacturing plants in Anderson on Monday.\nThe auto parts maker announced plans Jan. 7 to close the plants and lay off 400 workers.\nMost of the work to close the plants was finished last week, and only a few employees remained this week, Delco Remy spokeswoman Leah Campbell said. The rest of the workers were sent home with pay that lasts until the official closing Monday.\nSome longtime workers who are being laid off, such as 44-year worker Jimmie Morgan, believe Delco Remy has not done enough to recognize their service.\n"There were no balloons, no cake, no parties," said his wife, Valarie Morgan, who is about to lose her job at the factory after 10 years. "The company quickly ushered him out the door with pay until the March 31 deadline."\nCompany spokeswoman Campbell said Delco Remy held luncheons and dinners for workers on a departmental basis.\nDelco Remy cited pressure from overseas competitors when it announced plans to shut down the plants. The company said it would shift production to other company plants worldwide.\nThe layoffs involve 350 hourly workers represented by the United Auto Workers and about 50 salaried employees.\nDelco Remy will keep its global engineering and administrative headquarters in Anderson, about 35 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Those operations employ a total of 400 people.\nDelco Remy was formed in 1994 with the acquisition of a portion of the former Delco Remy Division of General Motors. As of January, the company employed about 6,300 workers worldwide, with operations in Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia.