By By JAN GRIFFEY / Niles Daily Star
NILES - City of Niles officials said this morning they can't confirm reports that Niles stands to gain as many as 100 or more jobs at Tyler Refrigeration here.
However, according to a news story published Sunday in the Waxahachie (Texas) Daily Light, Niles could see as many as 250 jobs by the end of 2005 from Tyler's plans to close its manufacturing facility in Waxahachie, Texas.
The Daily Light story reported that Tyler plans to close that facility, which would put 532 hourly and salaried workers out of a job there.
The Daily Light story said work from the Texas facility "is expected to be transferred to locations in Michigan and Arizona, with the bulk of it going to Mexico."
David Clemons, president of Local Union 514 at the Waxahachie Tyler plant, told a Daily Light reporter he was given the news of the Texas plant closing on Saturday. He said company officials told him they expect the plant closing to be complete by the end of 2005.
Downsizing at the Texas facility will begin after the first of the year, according to the Daily Light story, with layoffs expected to begin after the second quarter.
Dave Cangelosi, Tyler's director of human resources who works in the company's corporate headquarters here, referred questions to a Carrier Corp. spokesman. That spokesman did not return telephone messages this morning.
Terry Eull, Niles city administrator, said he has heard those rumors that Tyler, which was purchased in 1997 by Carrier Corp., a United Technologies Co., plans to close its Texas facility. He said he has also heard some of those manufacturing jobs could shift to Niles, but that he has not heard anything officially from Tyler company representatives.
Tyler Refrigeration was founded in Niles in 1927. It has operated its Waxahachie, Texas, manufacturing plant since 1947. It also operates manufacturing plants in Olive Branch, Miss., Andover, Kan., and Coverville, Va.
The Niles and Waxahachie locations manufacture a complete line of refrigerated display cases for meat, produce, dairy, frozen foods, service meats and delis, according to information on the Tyler Refrigeration corporate website.