It appears that Ford has basically said no to keeping the Norfolk plant open. Governor Tim Kaine and Mayor Paul Fraim traveled to Dearborn today to plead their case and offer incentives for the automaker to keep the plant open or at least delay the closure.
The Norfolk plant employs some 2,400 workers.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
And the influence the plant had was far stronger than merely those 2,400 jobs. How many lives have they just ruined so the damn CEOs don’t have to lose to much money? I am so pissed at this, man. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to drive a Ford after this. Hell, nobody in Norfolk or Virginia Beach should.
This is awful!
To me, Ford, and the American automotive industry in general, is in real danger of becoming extinct, like the American steel industry. There are many factors at play here, not the least of which such things as the cost of healthcare for employees, and CEO pay. Sure we can all stop driving Fords (I don't have one, anyway) but how does that help the situation? IMHO, it actually hurts because as Ford loses market share, American jobs will be lost and the middle class will continue to shrink.
Sorry I missed this post when I wrote about the closing over at Commonwealth Conservative. I have linked to you now.
I hope that everyone involved in mitigating the impact of this unfortunate closure makes wise decions and keeps looking to the future.
Thanks, WIll. This is going to be a real issue for a while. We just don’t have the good paying jobs here we need. (And I can assume that Martinsville is in the same boat 😦 )