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Chrysler closing foundry

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Chris Proffitt/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis, Sept. 16 - The Chrysler foundry's 1,000 workers were told on Monday that the plant which makes engine blocks and other components for Chrysler trucks and SUVs will close within the next four years.

"About three to four months ago, coming down from Detroit, they said there was no way the plant would come close to being closed," recalls worker David Kyzr.

The announcement comes as the UAW reached agreement with Chrysler on a new four-year contract.

A company spokesman says Chrysler won't comment on the foundry closing until the tentative agreement is ratified. Local union officials will meet with the international UAW in Detroit to get details on when the plant will close.

Along with the Indianapolis foundry, Chrysler will close a plant in Detroit and sell another in Alabama.

Worker Lindell Beamon want to know, "What are the young guys going to do? Chrysler is selling all the other plants and there's no where for them to go."

Chrysler made over $200 million in improvements to the Indianapolis plant in recent years, raising hopes among workers that the foundry owned by Chrysler for nearly 60 years would remain in business.

Marcy Crider says, "The job was good while it lasted. A good paying job and it's over, but if you were smart, you invested your money and are not walking out of here empty handed."

Workers at the foundry now anxiously wait to see how long they'll have jobs and why a factory that many say is efficient and profitable is no longer part of Chrysler's future.

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