Nearly 165 Laid Off Stellantis Employees Return to Work

Just in time for the holidays, nearly 165 Stellantis employees who were laid off when the Belvidere Assembly Plant idled returned to full-time positions this week.

ArrayThe employees will support operations for Mopar, the Company’s parts and service division, at a warehouse in Belvidere, Illinois, a community about 70 miles west of Chicago.

About 115 employees are already working processing parts for distribution to dealers at the warehouse located near the plant. The rest of the employees are completing training at the Chicago Parts Distribution Center in Naperville, Illinois, then will transition to the Belvidere location next week.

“It has always been our goal to find full-time employment opportunities for the Belvidere workforce,” said Mark Stewart, Stellantis North America COO. “This is a great first step in our plans to restore operations in this community and provide meaningful, high paying jobs with excellent benefits for those who are still on layoff and, eventually, for many who want to return home.”

During 2023 negotiations, Stellantis and the UAW agreed to launch a new battery plant joint venture, establish a Mopar Mega Hub and resume production at the plant, all in Belvidere. The Company and the Union also agreed to eliminate the wage tier between Mopar employees and their assembly plant counterparts, making the transition from a position in a manufacturing facility to one in a parts distribution center seamless.