The potential closing of the Kenosha Engine Plant raised anger, disappointment and some hope from plant employees and those concerned about the plant.

The Kenosha Engine Plant is one of eight Chrysler plants scheduled to close by the end of 2010, as indicated in the company’s bankruptcy filing. All Chrysler plants are scheduled to close as of Monday through the end of bankruptcy proceedings, which is expected to last between four and six weeks.

Robert Earl, who has worked at the plant since August 1978, said there was some surprise to the timing of Friday’s announcement, but not the tone.

“We didn’t think it was going to go like this,” Earl, a Kenosha resident, said.

“We all figured 2009 was not going to be a good year. We’ve had more down weeks this year than we’ve had in six years.”

And Earl said those feelings had been evident.

“The mood this week has been at rock bottom,” Earl said.

Jeff Mohr, a machinist who has worked at the plant for 12 years, said announcements like Friday’s have become somewhat familiar.

“It’s been like this for so long,” Mohr, a Pleasant Prairie resident, said. “Who knows what might happen?”

One employee said, while driving out of the Chrysler parking lot, that workers would be fine because they still have jobs.

Bankruptcy changes

Employees are worried about the bankruptcy plans and what the courts might do, said a first-shift worker who didn’t want his name used.

The mood now is completely opposite from that of just days ago, when Local 72 members adopted, with 89 percent support, contract changes aimed at helping the company save money and qualify for federal loans to stay in business.

Members said during the vote that they had no choice but were glad the concessions weren’t worse.

“It’s completely different from when we were expecting to get hammered from the company on the changes,” the worker said. “But the main concern now is the life of the plant here.”

The worker said many members, including some leadership, blamed the bankruptcy mess on the lenders, describing them as “greedy.”

“I feel that the employees believe they did everything that could be done” to help Chrysler, he added. “We did our part. Everybody was satisfied with the changes we made.”

There are many employees with almost 30 years experience who are concerned about not meeting that minimum time for retiring with full benefits, he said.

“That means the only way to finish 30 years is to transfer somewhere in a company that is shrinking,” he said. “So where are they going to go?”

Morning announcement

Workers at the engine plant said they were told about the temporary closing at an 8 a.m. meeting on Friday, Earl said.

“They told us it would be four to six weeks and possibly longer, but hopefully not longer,” Earl said.

Earl, who is close to reaching enough work experience to receive full retirement benefits, said he still believes many people were optimistic about the plant staying open and he hoped Fiat would bring their diesel engine to Kenosha.

“We really don’t want this plant to go down,” Earl said. “Hopefully something good will come out of this.”

And Mohr, who said he felt there is a chance the plant can stay open, said it was difficult to know what the future holds for the plant.

“The auto industry has been up and down, it’s been like that for decades,” Mohr said. “The only thing that is stable is instability.”

Angry and shocked

Pam Christensen, 53, of Kenosha, whose husband William, 55, works at the plant, said she’s angry because of the sacrifices workers have made over the years. Christensen said most people she knows are shocked because the workers had just voted on the concessions to keep the company viable. Her husband had just celebrated his 30-year anniversary with the automaker.

During her husband’s layoff 20 years ago, the couple lived apart for a while, after he took a job with Chrysler’s plant in Kokomo, Ind.

“They should’ve given them some warning,” she said. “Until today, I thought there was hope.”

Alderman Tod Ohnstad, a retired autoworker and a former member of Local 72’s bargaining and executive committees, called the move “as gut wrenching now as it was then” during the massive layoffs two decades ago.

“We think its particularly wrong to close Kenosha. Kenosha made the initial round of concessions, which allowed the company to build Phoenix engines. This is really, really wrong, ” he said. “As far as we know, the Phoenix will continue to be produced in Mexico.”

Ohnstad said to protest the closing of the Kenosha plant, workers will be holding a rally at 5 p.m. Monday at Local 72 headquarters, 3615 Washington Road.

‘Slow, painful death’

David Snow, 53, stood at the site of the Navy memorial looking at the former Chrysler auto plant property, now the condominiums at HarborPark.

“I hope that Fiat takes over. And I hope they don’t shut down the engine plant. But there’s not that many jobs left,” Snow said. “This is not a pleasant thing and I’d hate to see it happen ... but I don’t foresee (keeping the plant open). They’ll shut it down and then you’ll have another vacant building in Kenosha and 850 people out of work.”

Stacey Overly, 39, of Kenosha said the turn of events saddened her because relatives including her grandfather had worked and retired from Chrysler. Her family has always purchased Chrysler vehicles.

Overly said she remembers being in high school during the massive layoffs more than 20 years ago at the automotive plant. She said she remembers one lettered sign outside a church that read: “Christ is my savior, not Chrysler.”

“It seems like this has been like a slow, painful death,” she said.

Kenosha News reporters Terry Flores, John Krerowicz and Matthew Olson contributed to this report.