Workers devastated by Ford plant closing

Richard White grasped the metal fence at the Ford Motor Co. truck plant, tears welling up, after the second-generation company man learned he would be losing his job.

“People do not buy American products. We all buy foreign cars. We all buy foreign products,” White yelled after the automotive workers got the news at a meeting. He wondered aloud how they would be able to support their families.

White, 46, and about 2,400 other workers will be jobless when the plant closes in two years. Ford Motor Co. announced the shuttering of the 81-year-old Norfolk plant that builds the F-150 pickup and another truck plant in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday.

When the 2:30 p.m. bell rang for a shift change, workers streamed out the plant’s gate, most refusing to speak but looking distraught.

“It’s just heart-breaking. We’ve got a lot of good people here. We build more products with less people than any other plant in the country and they’re closing us down,” said White, whose father retired from the Norfolk plant.

Gloria Ellis, just showing up for her shift in the paint department, had already heard the news from a relative who works at the plant. Ellis said she had been watching the economy and knew that if things didn’t improve, the plant was doomed.

“I wasn’t too shocked. Gas prices are going up and demand is not as good as supply,” said Ellis, 60, who can retire in October after 30 years with Ford.

“It’s going to be devastating. There’s a lot of young people who work here that have homes and kids,” she said.