NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: July 17, 2008
MediaContact: Jeff Harris, 317-635-5455
DANIELS' "RV 1" MAKERCUTS 1,400 JOBS;
CLOSES THREE FACTORIES IN ELKHART COUNTY
Monaco Coach announcesjob cuts, Long Thompson comments
INDIANAPOLIS- Residents of northern Indiana received more bad news today, as RV makerMonaco Coach Corporation announced it is eliminating 1,400 good-paying jobs atthree plants in Elkhart County. The company, which built Governor Mitch Daniels'RV1, is transferring some of those jobs to its facilities in Oregon.
"Myheart goes out to all of the workers and their families who will be impacted bythis latest string of plant closings," said Jill Long Thompson. "This isanother clear sign of why Indiana desperately needs a change in direction and achange in leadership."
"Indianais a world-recognized leader in the production of RV's. We have a strong,highly skilled workforce that knows how to produce them quickly andefficiently. The problem isn't our workforce - it's the economic climate thatthe Daniels administration has created. Becauseof his leadership, Indiana is a less attractive state to do business in comparedto other states. That's why these jobs are going to Oregon as opposed tostaying here."
EffectiveSeptember 17, Monaco Coach's Elkhart, Nappanee and Wakarusa plants will shutdown. The facilities in Goshen, Milford and Warsaw will remain open.
AsGovernor, Long Thompson has committed to restructuring Indiana's antiquated taxstructure and to changing state polices to allow the state to more easilyattract and retain good-paying jobs. Long Thompson's proposals center on adoptingbroad policy that benefit all 92 counties. In addition to overhauling the state's taxstructure, her plan calls for placing specific, performance-based incentivesinto the tax structure to help grow jobs, and changing state laws to allowindividuals and small businesses to pool together to buy health insurance inbulk.
LongThompson and her running mate, State Rep. Dennie Oxley, have also proposedtheir "Economic Tiers" program to direct the state's resources to strugglingcounties. Under the plan, each of thestate's 92 counties would be categorized into three different tiers with thestate's economic development dollars delegated accordingly. The tiers would be updated regularly anddetermined by several factors, including the county's unemployment rate, medianhousehold income, population growth and assessed property value per capita.
TheDemocratic candidates' plan is designed to help lagging economies create,attract and retain good-paying, quality jobs.
"Weneed leadership that recognizes that our economy is in real trouble and thatHoosier families are hurting," added Long Thompson. "As Governor, I will takeproactive steps to stabilize our economy by removing the barriers that preventour companies from staying and growing in Indiana."
Known for her ability to get things done, Jill Long Thompson is anaccomplished public servant. She has served as a city councilor, aCongresswoman and as Under Secretary for Rural Development at the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture. Long Thompson grew up on her family's farm in ruralWhitley County and was the first in her family to go to college. She receivedher undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University and went on to earn amaster's and Ph.D. in business from Indiana University. A farmer andcollege professor by trade, Long Thompson lives with her husband Don Thompson,a commercial airline pilot, on their farm in Marshall County.
For more information about Jill Long Thompson, Dennie Oxley ortheir campaign to restore Indiana's promise, please visit www.hoosiersforjill.com or call 317-635-Jill.
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