Chicago’s Ford assembly plant on the South Side is expected to announce a major new contract today.
The contract is expected to bring in 1,200 new jobs to the plant on Chicago’s far South Side. Those positions will be filled with people reportedly from the auto company’s pool of employees who have been laid off at other factories. The new employees will focus on building Ford’s new Explorer SUV.
The jobs are welcome news to not only the struggling auto industry, but also to politicians like Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Richard Daley. Both are expected to be at the plant later this morning for the official announcement.
It comes a few days after Illinois reported December’s unemployment rate was more than 11 percent, compared to the national average of 10 percent.