MORRISON, TENN. Carrier Corp. to close plant, cutting 1,300 jobs

Carrier has closed 22 plants in the past two years around the world.
MORRISON, Tenn. (AP) -- Carrier Corp. announced Monday it will close its central Tennessee factory by the end of next year, eliminating 1,300 jobs.
The Morrison plant, which opened in 1969, makes commercial air conditioning and ventilation products. Production will be moved to factories in Tyler, Texas; Charlotte, N.C., and Monterrey, Mexico.
Production will begin to move by this fall, with the remainder lasting over the next 18 months, said Nancy Lintner, a spokeswoman for Farmington, Conn.-based Carrier.
The decision is part of a broad review of Carrier's global production base, which has resulted in closing 22 factories over the past two years, with more than half of those outside the United States.
"These decisions are very difficult and we understand the effect on our employees, their families and their communities, but this action is necessary for the long-term health of Carrier," Carrier North America president Todd Bluedorn said in a statement.
'A shock'
While there have been rumors over the years of a plant closing, city administrator Herb Llewellyn said Monday's announcement was "a complete shock. I had not heard anything from anyone in a position to know," he said.
Severance for Morrison employees will be negotiated later with their labor union, but the company said benefits could include college scholarships for eligible employees. Sheet Metal Workers union officials did not immediately return calls for comment.
A woman who answered the telephone at the plant directed all questions to company headquarters.
"It is a severe blow," said Billy Wood, 46, a lifelong resident and former vice mayor of McMinnville, the county seat.
"Those are well-paying jobs. I know a lot of people who have retired from there over the years."
Carrier, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., shut a Lewisburg, Tenn., plant making residential heating and air conditioning units in 2002, eliminating 2,000 jobs.
United Technologies shares gained 66 cents to close at $96.20 Monday on the New York Stock Exchange.