10/2/17 – 5:10 A.M.

A Fostoria auto parts maker is closing its doors. The Courier reports Autolite officials have told UAW local 533 leadership they are closing the plant. Local 533 president Bob Teeple tells the newspaper the news was the last thing he expected to hear when he recently sat down to negotiate a new contract for the 56 remaining workers at the facility.

Teeple says they now have to negotiate a closing agreement. He believes they might stay open another six months. The company’s contract with the union says Autolite has to give a 90-day notice before permanently closing the factory.

The plant employed more than 1,000 people in the mid-90s.

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