Strung Along
The Ford plant in St. Paul that makes the Ford Ranger (a truck) will be kept open until 2011, not the previously stated 2009.
Maybe Ford workers in St. Paul don’t hate employment with a stark end date as much as I do, but isn’t this just delaying the inevitable? By that I mean these workers will have to find new jobs in 2011, and it’s not going to be making trucks, I can tell you that.
I really hope, for their sake, that the economy improves in three years (for all our sake, really). But, I’m no economist, maybe this is just the thing St. Paul needs. Your insights?
I’m in a similar situation. My job is only going to last a couple more years because the manufacturing facility I work at is shifting production to another location out-of-state. Not 100% sure when the end date is, but it’s a couple years out.
So while it’s nice to have time to plan, it still sucks. That’s a long ass lame duck period. Do you stick it out, wait for the buy out, and hope the economy is better then so you’ll have a better chance of finding another job (with your severance pay in the bank to boot)? Or do you take the more secure route of finding another job before you don’t have one anymore (except that there aren’t so many to be had with similar pay and benefits)?
I can’t deal with speculating on the market for Ford Rangers. In fact, any much thought about the auto industry makes me sick for two reasons. One, I grew up in Detroit and my whole family’s quality of life is directly or indirectly tied up in the auto industry. Two, the industry is a wreck insofar as it’s ridiculous lack of response to market demands regarding environmental concerns and I already angst a little over what car I should or shouldn’t have and how much I should even be using it.