Batavia facility with 781 employees to close on or about May 30.
Reported by: Tom McKee
Photographed by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Warren Hewitt left Ford's Batavia transmission plant Thursday not knowing if he'll have a job in two months.
Still, he was upbeat.
"Morale is high," he said. "People care about their jobs. People care about the products they're building."
"Ford Motor Company builds good products. We've got good union representation, good benefits," said Hewitt. "So, it's a good mood in the building."
A somber mood would be understandable since Ford has notified the State of Ohio it will close the plant on or about May 30 this year.
The move is part of the automaker's efforts to sharply cut costs and affects 781 people at the Batavia facility.
They include 740 hourly and 41 salaried employees.
Many of them are being helped at "transition centers," which have been set up inside the plant, at the headquarters of United Auto Workers Local 863 on Reading Road in Evendale – and at offices of Work Force One of Clermont County on Old State Route 74 in Eastgate.
Clermont County Commissioner Bob Proud vows that the county will do whatever is needed to get another company to occupy the 1.8 million square-foot building.
"We in Clermont County, we don't want a rust bucket sitting there," said Proud. "We don't think it's an advantage to Ford either to have it sit there."
Hewitt says he hopes his 14-years seniority with Ford will allow him to transfer to the Sharonville transmission plant.
"You leave it in the hands of the union, say your prayers and hope everything works out," he added.
His wife, Brenda, says the same thing.
She worked at the plant for seven years, but took a buyout in 2007.
Now, she's studying subjects like chemistry and anatomy at UC's Clermont College to earn a degree in nursing.
"It's been very difficult, but I don't regret it," she said. "I think I made the right choice."
Work Force One of Clermont County's Jean Chase says the agency has added extra staff members and programs to help workers at the plant.
"Most of the employees to this point are going to work until it closes," Chase said.
"What we're trying to do is upgrade their skills so that when they transition, they'll transition into a position that pays maybe not as much as Ford did, but something similar to what Ford did," said Chase.
She added that would lessen the burden on the employees.
Services available include resume writing, job-hunting via computer, interview skills and re-training where necessary.
Proud says that when Ford first announced plans in January 2006 to shutter the operation, the county formed teams to try and do three things.
The first was trying to keep the plant open, which didn't work.
Next, was helping workers in their transition period.
The third was finding someone to occupy the building.
"We hope it's very likely," Proud said. "If you look at it, this is one of the youngest plants Ford has, so we think that's an advantage for marketability."
Trying to find a new owner or tenant for the building won't overshadow the impact the closing will have on businesses near the facility and the workers.
"We have to recognize each job represents a family," Proud said. "We can't forget the human element in this as well."
That's how Warren Hewitt says he feels.
"If it ended today and there was no tomorrow, I was better off with it than without it," he said. "So, I'm thankful to Ford and the UAW for the great benefits that I have."
