NORMAL, Ill. (AP) -- The Mitsubishi plant in central Illinois will skip its traditional summer production shutdown for the first time this year, due to a new order for rental-fleet vehicles.
Workers at the plant in Normal learned Thursday that they won't be idled for a week or two, as they usually are in the summer.
Dan Irvin, a spokesman for Mitsubishi Motors North America, told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph that the plant received an order for almost 1,200 Endeavors, the plant's midsize crossover SUV. The plant typically shuts down for maintenance and model changeovers, but the only way to get the SUV order done is to keep working.
The move came after Mitsubishi announced in February that it will invest millions of dollars at the Normal plant to begin making the Outlander Sport SUV next year.
"This year's been a good year so far," said Ralph Timan, president of United Auto Workers Local 2488, which represents most of the plant's 1,300 workers. "We've got cars to build and some good news. It's exciting days."
Last year's shutdown was for two weeks. Employees were forced to take at least five vacation days, filling the rest with paid or unpaid time, the Pantagraph reported.
"The benefit is, the workers can take the time off when it works for their schedule the best," Timan said.
The plant makes the Galant, Eclipse and Spyder vehicles and the Endeavor SUV. Currently, it produces 1,000 to 1,100 vehicles per week, Irvin said.
Workers at the plant in Normal learned Thursday that they won't be idled for a week or two, as they usually are in the summer.
Dan Irvin, a spokesman for Mitsubishi Motors North America, told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph that the plant received an order for almost 1,200 Endeavors, the plant's midsize crossover SUV. The plant typically shuts down for maintenance and model changeovers, but the only way to get the SUV order done is to keep working.
The move came after Mitsubishi announced in February that it will invest millions of dollars at the Normal plant to begin making the Outlander Sport SUV next year.
"This year's been a good year so far," said Ralph Timan, president of United Auto Workers Local 2488, which represents most of the plant's 1,300 workers. "We've got cars to build and some good news. It's exciting days."
Last year's shutdown was for two weeks. Employees were forced to take at least five vacation days, filling the rest with paid or unpaid time, the Pantagraph reported.
"The benefit is, the workers can take the time off when it works for their schedule the best," Timan said.
The plant makes the Galant, Eclipse and Spyder vehicles and the Endeavor SUV. Currently, it produces 1,000 to 1,100 vehicles per week, Irvin said.