Much has been written about the fate of the workers in the soon-to-be closed Norfolk Ford plant. Little has been said about the companies who supply the plant with various parts and materials. The Virginian-Pilot has such an article today. The five suppliers mentioned in the story – Allied Systems Ltd., Visteon Corp., Johnson Controls Inc., TDS/US and Tenneco Inc. – all are facing shutdowns when the plant closes. Some 600 jobs are expected to be eliminated.
Unlike their counterparts at Ford, the workers in these companies are not being offered severance packages or other jobs.
“We are at the mercy of unemployment” benefits, said Dwight Brooks, the UAW chairman for the Johnson Controls facility.
Some of the workers are already moving on, taking other jobs as they come available. The article states that, “State and local agencies are trying to cushion the blow of layoffs and help hundreds of workers at supply shops search for new jobs.” One such agency – Opportunity Inc. – reports that the number of employees leaving has been “manageable so far,” as only 50 here or 50 there have been leaving the companies. With the shutdown looming, it just makes sense to go ahead and look for another job.
Interestingly enough, there are not that many suppliers here for Ford, “a fact that weighed heavily in Ford’s decision to shut down Norfolk Assembly.” From an economic standpoint, that is probably a good thing. But for the 600 workers losing their jobs, it certainly isn’t.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I’m sorry, but I’m a little confused. (It’s been a while since I lived down there.) The article mentions a Norfolk Ford plant, and an F-150 plant on Indian River Rd. I thought Indian River Rd. was in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Does it go through Norfolk, too? Are there two plants? Do they just call it the Norfolk plant, even though it’s not in Norfolk?
The Ford plant, which builds F-150s, is in Norfolk.
Got it, thanks. I did not know that Indian River Road went into Norfolk.