Chief: Chrysler threats mostly innuendo, rumors

A Chrysler LLC official said the company asked for a beefed-up police presence at the plant after several vehicles on the production line were vandalized and because of persistent rumors of violence.

Company spokeswoman Michelle Tinson said "there's been a lot of rumors and reports that there's going to be some violence. And we've had a few minor what you'd call sabotaging of the vehicles."

The company will convert the plant to a two-shift operation at the end of Saturday morning's third shift, meaning nearly 1,100 workers out of about 3,600 will be out of work. And tensions, at least on some shifts, are running high.

This morning, four patrol cars have been seen at the security office and officers have been walking back and forth in the parking lot.

Belvidere police added that their department, as well as the Boone County Sheriff's Department and Illinois State Police, were asked to help. It's unknown how many extra officers have been assigned.

"There have been no specific and confirmed threats, just innuendo and rumors that are running rampant through the plant," Belvidere Police Chief Jan Noble said.

He said he didn't know what the threats pertained to or whether they were written or verbal.

"There's simply a lot of rumors passing in and out of this plant," Noble said.

Police were notified of the threats Wednesday afternoon. No one has been arrested in connection with the threats, Noble said. He said Belvidere Police have not received reports of fights at the plant or vandalism to vehicles there.

"We're bringing in additional officers in and around the Chrysler plant and will remain until we feel that the threat has subsided," Noble said. "We believe that will be for the next day or two."

The Chrysler plant has been the major Boone County employer since it opened in 1965. In 2006, for the first time in plant history, Chrysler boosted the operation to three shifts.

To bring in enough workers to man the plant 24 hours a day, though, the company brought in about 500 workers who transferred from other Chrysler operations and hired about 800 workers on two-year temporary contracts that had lesser insurance benefits and did not include automatic pay increases.

But sales of the three vehicles made in Belvidere - the Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot - although they have been better than worldwide sales of the old Neon, have not been strong enough to support three shifts and the company announced in November that it was eliminating a shift in Belvidere.

In January, Chrysler offered buyout packages to an untold number of workers.

Most workers age 55 and older qualified for an early retirement offer of a $70,000 lump-sum payment and accrued pension benefits. Other workers with at least one year of seniority could take a $100,000 lump-sum payment with six months of medical insurance.

The 600 temporary workers who still work at the plant, out of the original 800, were about the only people at the plant ineligible for the buyout offers. Even though most have worked there for nearly two years, the contract they signed stipulated they do not accrue seniority.

Still, some of the temporary workers and transfers hoped enough people accepted buyouts to save at least a few of their jobs.

Tinson said Chrysler will not release how many workers at each plant took buyouts until all of the buyout packages have been approved.

Some of the company's Detroit-area operations have until mid-March to accept the offers. She would say not enough took the packages to salvage the jobs of any of the temporary workers.

Alex Gary can be reached at agary@rrstar.com or at (815) 987-1339.