Carrier Air Conditioning announced this week that the company will be moving manufacturing operations from an Indianapolis plant to Monterrey, Mexico, a move that will cost 1,400 people their jobs over the course of the next three years. On Wednesday, employees were told about this decision, as seen in a video that surfaced on Facebook shortly after.
Suffice to say, the news was not well received. The decision likely will not help with mounting tensions many Americans are feeling towards Mexico (thanks in part to Donald Trump), as one person immediately shouts out, “That’s why you brought all those [expletives] here!” The executive announcing the news likewise doesn’t help by continuously and insultingly referring to the layoffs as “a transition,” telling the disconcerted employees, “I want to be clear, this is strictly a business decision.”
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett later released a statement on the sudden and what he called “incredibly disappointing” news:
BREAKING: @IndyMayorJoe to issue executive order to help Indy Carrier workers: 1,400 jobs moving to Mexico @rtv6 pic.twitter.com/KmkH4NYTPB
— #IndyThisWeek (@IndyThisWeek) February 10, 2016
The impact a decision like this would have on Indianapolis’ economy could potentially be devastating. Carrier was not the only heating and cooling company in Indiana to announce moving operations to Mexico, as United Technologies Electronic Controls also announced Wednesday that it will be moving its Huntington manufacturing operations south of the border, which will cost the city 700 jobs by 2018.