An Illinois auto parts company is the tentative buyer of the Delphi Corp. plant in Kettering, according to court documents Delphi filed Tuesday.
Tenneco Inc., headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., has reached a tentative agreement with the IUE-CWA to buy the plant with 325 initial jobs, but only 200 jobs are guaranteed during the life of the agreement.
The Kettering plant currently has 700 workers.
Union officials said the plant will operate with 350 to 375 workers.
The potential for new work could take the number higher, said Steve Lykins, an international staffer with the IUE-CWA Local 755 in Kettering.
Tenneco spokeswoman Jane Ostrander said, Were still looking at whether this is something we want to pursue.
New work for the plant will come from General Motors Corp. and include struts, strut modules and shock absorbers.
Tenneco has 80 manufacturing facilities and 14 engineering centers in 24 countries on six continents. The company sells ride control and emissions products to car manufacturers and aftermarket parts distributors and retailers.
Revenue at the plant is expected to decline from $235 million in 2007 to $111 million in 2011.
Delphi workers at the Kettering plant will take wage cuts as part of the deal:
The workers taking wage cuts are eligible for buydowns of $125,000 for production workers making between $20 and $23.99 per hour, and $20,000 for those making between $14.99 and $11 per hour, and $80,000 for skilled workers.
Retirement and buyout options for workers at the Moraine Delphi plant, which is closing, were also detailed in the court documents. Workers there will be offered normal or early retirement or buyouts of $140,000 to $70,000, lay-offs or buydown payments.
