Klobuchar, Smith, Emmer ask Electrolux to reconsider closure

SCTimes

Employees walk to the parking lot after a shift change Tuesday, Jan. 30, at Electrolux in St. Cloud. Electrolux corporate officials announced that the St. Cloud facility, that manufactures Frigidaire upright freezers, will continue production through 2019.

Three members of Minnesota's congressional delegation are asking Electrolux to reconsider its planned closure of its St. Cloud manufacturing facility.

U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, along with Sixth District U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, sent a letter Thursday to Electrolux CEO Jonas Samuelson asking him to "reconsider your decision as soon as possible," according to a press release Tuesday from the International Association of Machinists.

“We believe the plant and its workers are among the best in this country and should be viewed as a valuable asset,” the letter reads. "We will continue to make that case to Electrolux and ask you to reconsider your decision as soon as possible."

The elected officials also questioned the timing and factors that went into the company's decision to close the plant. Three questions were asked in the letter:

• When did Electrolux begin examining the possibility of closing the St. Cloud Frigidaire factory?

• What factors went into the decision process?

• Did Electrolux consult with the local community or employee representatives prior to announcing this decision to explore ways to avoid closing the plant?

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said he had no indication of the plant closure until it was announced Jan. 30.

"Quite the opposite based on our conversations," Kleis said in a phone interview Tuesday with the Times. "We had communicated with Electrolux at the end of last year."

The call "was more of a check in to see how things were going," Kleis said. "We were caught off guard like everyone else."

"We are outraged over your decision to turn your back on the working families that built your company," the letter from Martinez reads. "We are asking that you show the same loyalty that your workers have given Electrolux and reconsider your decision to shut down this site."

Electrolux announced Jan. 30 it will be consolidating its upright freezer production to its Anderson, South Carolina facility. Production is expected to continue in St. Cloud through 2019.

The company's St. Cloud facility manufactures Frigidaire upright freezers and employs approximately 900 workers and was St. Cloud's fifth-largest employer in 2017, according to the city of St. Cloud.

Anna Haecherl can be reached at 320-259-3662 and ahaecherl@stcloudtimes.com.