Coca-Cola shutting down its Detroit plant in October

Coca-Cola is moving out of Detroit, and apparently, it will be shutting down its facilities there. It was revealed that the company’s plant will be closed in October.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Coca-Cola is moving to Grand Rapids, and with the shutdown of its facilities in the area, at least 135 workers are set to lose their jobs. Todd Lince, the administrative assistant to the president at Teamsters Local 337, a union representing Coca-Cola’s workers, confirmed that the plant will stop its operation, and many are about to go jobless.

Lince said that they are concerned as the company is taking more jobs out of Detroit. He added that Coca-Cola’s reason for closing the plant and transferring the business to Grand Rapids was that the facility is so old already. The beverage maker also stated there are issues with parking, water, and others too.

As for the plant in Grand Rapids, it is newer, and there is a recently built additional facility for better production. Lince shared that he only learned about the closure and new plant from a Teamsters member.

"After careful consideration, we made the difficult decision to consolidate our Detroit production operations into our Grand Rapids production facility, which is best positioned to achieve the size and scale needed to maximize our manufacturing operations in the state,” regarding the plant closure, vice president of government relations and public affairs at Great Lakes Coca-Cola Bottling, Nancy Limon, told Free Press via an email. “We are committed to treating our employees with respect and dignity throughout this process.”

At any rate, Todd Lince said Detroit’s mayor's office contacted Reyes Holdings, a distributor for Great Lakes Coca-Cola, to discuss the facility closure. He told the publication that they are trying to convince them to stay.

They were also offered many initiatives so they will change their minds and continue their operation in Detroit. However, it is unknown if the proposals worked to make Coca-Cola stay in the city.

Finally, The Detroit News reported that at this time, the Coca-Cola plant’s employment separations are set to take effect from Oct. 3 to Oct. 17. The remaining workers may lose their jobs between Oct. 18 and Nov. 17 and Dec. 17 to Dec. 31. The affected employees are the forklift operators, machine operators, transport drivers, and mechanics.