Detroit is losing its Coca-Cola plant to Grand Rapids toward the finish of October.
President Todd Lince of Teamsters Local 337, a union representing Coca-Cola representatives, informed the Free Press that 135 workers, both union and nonunion, would be influenced by this conclusion.
“Our concern is that they’re taking more jobs out of the city of Detroit,” Lince said.
Lince said that Coca-Cola’s reasoning for the move was that the facility in Detroit, at 5981 W Warren Ave, was old, with parking, water, and different issues. The Grand Rapids location had recently assembled an extra facility for its plant, Lince said, which he gained from a Teamsters member at that location.
Nancy Limon, VP of government relations and public affairs at Great Lakes Coca-Cola, wrote in an email to the Free Press, “After careful consideration, we made the difficult decision to consolidate our Detroit production operations into our Grand Rapids production facility, which is best positioned to achieve the size and scale needed to maximize our manufacturing operations in the state. We are committed to treating our employees with respect and dignity throughout this process.”
Lince said the mayor’s office had contacted Reyes Holdings about the closure, which is a distributor for Great Lakes Coca-Cola.
“We’re trying to get them to change their minds and stay in the city,” Lince told the Free Press. “The city of Detroit has offered them all kinds of different initiatives to stay.”
Teamsters agent Tony Reisdorf posted a letter from the organization about the conclusion on Aug. 3.
The organization’s letter, shipped off Lince, said that Great Lakes Coca-Cola intended to close down Detroit productions and start its shift to the Grand Rapids site in October.
“Rest assured Teamsters Local 337 will do everything we can for our Coke Membership,” Reisdorf wrote.