FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A union official at the Navistar International plant in Fort Wayne says the company has told workers it plans to phase out its operations in that city within three years.
United Auto Workers Local 2911 President Tom Burkholder says workers got that message Tuesday but it could be a negotiating stategy. The union's current agreement expires at midnight Oct. 1 and the two sides opend contract talks Tuesday.
Navistar has its truck design, technology and reliability centers and a test track in Fort Wayne. The company's predecessor, International Harvester Co., had about 10,500 workers in the city before closing an assemblyplant in 1983.
Mayor Tom Henry says Navistar CEO Daniel Ustian has agreed to meet with Fort Wayne officials about the company's future in the city.
