Chrysler to Restart Belvedere Plant

By Kevin Robinson in News on Jul 28, 2009 4:20PM

Fresh out of bankruptcy and still getting used to the new ring Uncle Sam bought for the shotgun wedding to Italian automaker Fiat, Chrysler began production Monday at its norther Illinois Belvedere plant. The plant, which manufactures the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Patriots and Jeep Compasses is expected to bring 1,700 local autoworkers back on the clock, compared to the 2,700 it employed prior to shutting down on May 1, when Chrysler LLC entered bankruptcy.

As part of negotiations with the UAW, employees at the plant went through a two-week shut down to retool the plant, as well as training in new Fiat procedures. Auto workers used vacation time during the shutdown.