CADILLAC, MI -- Feelings of concern swept through Cadillac today, as AAR Mobility Systems, one of the city's largest manufacturers, increased its layoff total to 282 workers.
“We knew something was going to happen. We heard last spring that things were not going well and so it does not come as a total surprise…but whenever you lose employees in the community it's a shock,” said Douglas Mellema, President of Manufacturing Association.
Cadillac’s mayor says 60 day layoff notices have been passed out over the past several months. The layoffs stem from AAR’s decision to move some of its production to a plant in North Carolina.
“I have friends that work there and people I graduated with work there. They are real people and they are devastated by it. They need help from government and the city and it's time for government to stand up and see what we can do to help these families and businesses to keep going,” said Cadillac Mayor Bill Barnett.
Cadillac is down almost 3,000 jobs over the past 10 years, but Mayor Barnett says the city will rebound.
“We have the best work force in Northern Michigan. This is the number one manufacturing community in Northern Michigan, and if anyone can rebuild from this we can.”
