Chrysler to cut North American production

DETROIT -- Chrysler LLC plans to shut down several assembly plants in the coming weeks to limit production in the face of sagging demand.

Chrysler’s Warren Truck assembly plant in Warren, Mich., is scheduled to be shut down for more than a month for “volume-related downtime,” a UAW source told Automotive News.

After Warren Truck employees leave work on Friday, Dec. 21, they are not scheduled to return until Feb. 4, 2008, the source said.

Warren Truck employees build the Dodge Ram and Dakota pickup trucks.

The Detroit News reported Wednesday that Chrysler’s Jefferson North Assembly in Detroit and Windsor Assembly plants in Windsor, Ontario, will be idled beginning on Jan. 14.

Jefferson North will be down for three weeks and Windsor will be down for two, according to the News.

Chrysler also plans to cut Jefferson North’s second shift on Feb. 4, laying off 911 workers in the process, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification received by the state of Michigan on Nov. 30.

Chrysler spokesman Dave Elshoff declined to confirm the shutdowns and the cut shift, saying the company does not release production schedules until one week prior to any changes to be made.

Jefferson North builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander SUVs and Windsor is one of two Chrysler plants that build the newly redesigned Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans.