LEAR CORP. Plant's future isn't certain

Lear says it's looking for new work for its Lordstown plant.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
LORDSTOWN -- The future of the Lear Corp. plant here is up in the air after the company lost a contract to supply seats for the nearby General Motors car assembly plant.
Michigan-based Lear is working to find new work for the plant, which employs about 310 hourly and 50 salaried workers, said Andrea Puchalsky, director of corporate communications.
When the new Chevrolet Cobalt begins rolling off the GM assembly line next fall, it will be made with seats produced by Magna International, a Canadian company. Magna officials could not be reached to comment.
Puchalsky said Lear's Lordstown plant will continue working at full staff until next September, as long as sales of the cars now made at GM Lordstown remain strong. The Cobalt and Pontiac Pursuit, which will be sold only in Canada, are replacing the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire.
It's too early to say what work may be brought to the Lordstown Lear plant, Puchalsky said.
The plant is configured to make seats, and workers are trained in that line of production, but seats are not something that are made in one location and shipped hundreds of miles, she said. Seats are too costly to ship, and assembly plants are built so that seats are ordered and delivered as needed, she said.
Union involved
Jim Graham, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112, which represents Lear workers, said union officials from the local, regional and international staffs are working with Lear to find more work for the plant.
"We have a lot of people trying to make sure that all of the Lear people have jobs when this is over," he said.
The Lear plant was built in 1993. The UAW agreed to shift the seat work out of the plant in exchange for being able to represent workers at the plant.
Lear, which had sales of $14 billion last year, is the world's largest supplier of automotive interior systems. Besides seats, it produces interior trim and electronic components.