Donald Trump says he's "working hard" to keep Carrier in the U.S.
President-elect Donald Trump is promising that he’s “MAKING PROGRESS” in keeping the operations of air-conditioning company Carrier in the United States, tweeting out over the Thanksgiving holiday that he was “working hard” on the issue.
I am working hard, even on Thanksgiving, trying to get Carrier A.C. Company to stay in the U.S. (Indiana). MAKING PROGRESS - Will know soon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2016
Carrier, which is based in Connecticut, has a furnace factory in Indiana that is slated to move to Mexico in 2019. The company confirmed that it has been in talks with the incoming administration but noted that there was “nothing to announce at this time.” The move out of Indiana would mean the loss of about 1,400 American jobs.
Carrier has had discussions with the incoming administration and we look forward to working together. Nothing to announce at this time.
— Carrier (@Carrier) November 24, 2016
Carrier’s union says its Indianapolis workers average $34 an hour with benefits, and Mexican employees will make $6 dollars an hour with benefits, CBS News’ Mark Strassmann noted in April. The plant isn’t scheduled to shut down until 2019, and Carrier has said it will pay up to four years of college tuition for laid-off employees.
Mr. Trump, whose own “Make America Great Again” hats and other Trump-branded clothing items use materials not made in the U.S., has called the intended closure of the Indianapolis factory “disgusting” and “un-American” over the course of his campaign.
During an Indiana campaign stop in May, the then-GOP candidate told rally-goers that he could “100 percent guarantee” the plant would not leave if he were elected.