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Photo by Sue G. Collins
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AutoLign Manufacturing Group closed its doors April 10, leaving 90 area residents without jobs. Employees collected final paychecks, unemployment information and details about their 401(k) plans at the plant Friday. Pictured are Cassandra Hill (left), Kim Duval, Tammy Gibson, Chuck McDonald and Gordon Santure.
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About 90 Milan-area residents lost their jobs April 10 when they were told at an early-morning meeting their employer's largest account was sending business to Taiwan.
AutoLign Manufacturing Group, formed in 1998 from the joint acquisition of Colonel's, manufactured aftermarket plastic bumpers on South Platt Road in Milan. Employees, who gathered at the facility Friday to collect their last paychecks, said general manager Brian Williamson announced the plant closing and offered no severance pay, though they reported he said medical benefits were being extended through May 1.
"I got my prescriptions filled right away," said Gordon Santure, who said most employees there made $12 to $16 an hour and would be hard-pressed to find similar work in the area's depressed job market.
One of the company's largest accounts, according to sales staff on site Friday, was Keystone Automotive Industries. Gary Maier, a public relations consultant for Keystone, confirmed that the business had been taken away from AutoLign but said the bulk "was being moved to other U.S. manufacturers."
Maier said AutoLign had struggled to maintain a competitive position.
"I know there had been a fire there and Keystone tried to work with them," he said. "But in the end, Keystone needed to be competitive to provide the best business, too."
Keystone works with offshore suppliers, including an aftermarket bumper manufacturer in Taiwan. But Maier said that while this factory is a big supplier, Keystone would not be using it to replace the business from AutoLign.
Malinda Luzier worked in sales for AutoLign for four years and said that while Keystone had wanted lower prices, the Milan plant had kept up with orders, even during the December fire, which forced some of the production to be outsourced. She was on site Friday to hand out checks and try to answer questions.
Phone calls to AutoLign management were not returned to The News-Leader by press time and company officials were unavailable for comment at the plant.
AutoLign currently owes 2005 and 2006 taxes to the city of Milan. City Administrator Dan Bishop said his office was unaware of any further issues affecting the business and was unable to track down the company owners.
Don Williamson once owned the company, employing more than 200 people before selling it to the group of 28 current owners 10 years ago and is general manager Brian Williamson's uncle.
Don Williamson, the mayor of Flint, said he told his nephew last week that he would buy the company back.
"Brian said he would take my offer to the bank, but never said the plant was going to close. I just found out about it," said Don Williamson. "It's a beautiful plant. They should have no trouble finding a buyer. I think the company was running under a different philosophy. You have to get customers what they want, when they want it."
Outside the Milan factory, employees exchanged phone numbers, encouraged one another and looked over information tucked into their pay packet, including a form from the U.S. Department of Labor about how to claim additional Trade Adjustment Assistance, which is provided to workers in companies affected by shifts in production to certain foreign countries.
When informed about the claim made by the Keystone public relations representative that the production was staying onshore, one shocked employee said, "I hope they don't arrest me for falsely filing this kind of unemployment."
Susan Marks lives in Azalea and has worked at the plant for over eight years.
"I was very disappointed when Brian (Williamson) made the announcement and disappointed there's nobody here today to answer our questions," she said. "I had been promised a letter of recommendation and there's nothing here."
"All in all, this was a good place to work. It was a family. We watched each other's kids grow up," said Tammy Gibson, who had been at AutoLign for more than a decade. "Now, they are taking the stuff to China. This stinks. They haven't given us squat."
Employees Cassandra Hill and Chuck McDonald are engaged to be married and both lost their job last week.
"There were lots of couples who worked here. A lot of families have been affected. It's really sad," McDonald said.
Front office staff were given the heads-up and encouraged to take their vacation time before the announcement, said one worker.
"The rest of us were sent home the Tuesday before Easter and were told we'd be paid but to return the following Tuesday to have our questions answered," said Christine Taylor, who worked at AutoLign as a trimmer along side her daughter.
She said there had been rumors of corporate financial troubles when some employees' life insurance and child support payments were not made and the facility's phone service was disconnected recently.
AutoLign customers are also at a loss. Ken Garrison from LS Koncepts called The News-Leader office for information on the closing after reading the breaking news report on the newspaper's Web site www.milannews.com.
"AutoLign returned my last payment for products I had ordered -- just the check in an envelope with no explanation. I got suspicious when my shipments weren't ready the last few weeks, they were closed the Friday and Monday around Easter, and when my calls weren't returned. This puts a big hurt on our business."
Staff Writer Sue G. Collins can be reached at 429-7380 or scollins@heritage.com.
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