CHICAGO (CBS) – The Biden administration on Thursday announced a $334 million federal investment to reopen the shuttered Stellantis plant in Belvidere and convert it to make cars and electric parts.
It is an investment of 1,700 million dollars through the U. S. Department of Energy. The U. S. government has launched a U. S. government to convert 11 closed or “at-risk” auto plants in 8 states to make electric vehicles.
“For approximately two years, we have been intensely focused on creating an environment in the state that is conducive to the success of the Stellantis plant in Belvidere,” said Governor J. B. Pritzker in a statement. “With this investment and the work being done to make Illinois an electric vehicle production hub, this facility will make our state’s white energy economy more powerful than ever. “
The video above is from a report.
Stellantis, parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat and several other vehicle brands, closed the Belvidere plant indefinitely at the end of February 2023, leaving more than 1,300 workers out of work.
In late October, Stellantis announced plans to reopen the plant after reaching an agreement on a new hard-work contract with the United Auto Workers union.
The factory is expected to reopen next year. There are also plans to identify a new Mopar battery and distribution facility in Belvidere. Together, the facilities are expected to employ between 4,000 and 5,000 union workers.
Belvidere is located about an hour and a half northwest of Chicago. Chrysler opened the Belvidere meeting plant there in 1965 and at its peak hired about 5,000 people, but fell on hard times in recent years as sales began to decline. When the factory closed in 2023, it had around 1,350 workers.
In his February State of the Union address, President Biden praised auto workers’ efforts to reopen the plant.
“The UAW worked like hell to keep the plant open and get those jobs back, and together we did it,” Biden said.
The story of automobile production at Belvidere is an example of what Biden called his speech a “comeback story. ” In his speech he emphasized a broader “comeback story” for the United States, noting that the country went through the worst pandemic and economic crisis. in a century 4 years ago, but: “Together, we have created 15 million new jobs, the lowest inflation in the world and a low unemployment rate for 50 years.