A manufacturing company in Auburn, N.Y. has announced it will be closing its doors by the end of 2014.
Daikin McQuay, a company that manufactures heating, air conditioning and ventilation equipment, told the plant's employees Wednesday that it will begin transferring operations to another facility in Tennessee starting in April.
The Auburn facility employs over 300 people, and has been a long-time staple in the community. The company says it is possible some workers could be transferred to the plant in Fayetteville, Tenn. which belongs to a sister company, Goodman Global Group. The company has begun discussions with the local United Steelworkers union about the fate of those employees.
Sen. Charles Schumer, when asked about the company's plans to close the plant, says he wants to see those jobs stay in central New York.
"In 1991, there was a similar situation, where they said they'd move to Tennessee, and they were persuaded to stay here," he said. "So I'm going to work at the federal level, I'm going to look at our state and local officials, and combine state, local, and federal government. We will try to persuade them to stay, and see if we can provide some financial incentives so they stay."
Don Winter, Daikin McQuay's vice president of marketing, says that the company would be glad to talk to the area's elected officials about their plans, but the decision to close the plant is final.