Durbin: Cash for Clunkers Demand Allows Chrysler Plant to Hire 850 Employees
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today made the following statement after learning of Chrysler’s plan to hire 850 employees at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in anticipation of increasing consumer demand for fuel-efficient cars.
“Just a few months ago, Chrysler’s Belvidere plant was on the verge of a complete shut down that would have had a serious economic impact the region. Now, the company is facing a dramatic increase in demand for fuel-efficient vehicles -- spurred in part by President Obama’s Cash for Clunkers program – which has allowed the plant to hire or rehire 850 employees. This is exactly the kind of news that will help Northern Illinois and the rest of the country turn the corner on the economy.”
“As more new, fuel-efficient cars have been purchased in Illinois and around the country, there has been more demand to rebuild that inventory at the auto dealership, put autoworkers back to work and buy more fuel-efficient vehicles. I commend Chrysler’s decision to response to consumer demand by increasing production and creating good paying jobs at their Belvidere facility.”