Delphi workers’ final day

Published 9:33 pm Thursday, June 25, 2009

Today, the remaining 100 hourly production workers still at the Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems plants in South Limestone County will leave the site for the final time.

Earlier this month, UAW President Vaughn Goodwin confirmed that today would be the last day of production.

Delphi—then known as Saginaw Steering Gear—began production here nearly 35 years ago. The company filed for bankruptcy Oct. 8, 2005.

On June 1, Delphi unveiled a new plan to emerge from its nearly four-year-old Chapter 11. The deal calls for Delphi to sell to four U.S. auto-parts plants and its steering business to former parent GM. Most of Delphi’s remaining assets would be sold to Platinum Equity, a Beverly Hills, Calif., private-equity firm in a transaction largely backed by GM.

Human Resources Manager Harry Fuller said Thursday that some salaried workers would remain on site throughout most of the summer.

“We will retain salaried workers, who will remain sometime longer,” said Fuller. “We will have 55 or so salaried workers onsite, primarily in all functions.

Fuller said that after today there would be about 60 employees onsite, who would leave at staggered times over the next two to three months as the machines are decommissioned and the plants cleaned.

Fuller said that Plant 21 would close completely by September and Plant 23 would close by October.

The state purchased Plant 22 in 2001 as part of an incentive package. The new Robotics Park will soon be built on grounds in front of Plant 22.