Will Trump Save Aurora, Batesville Casket Jobs From Move To Mexico?

By Mike Perleberg The facade of a former Aurora Casket Company warehouse in downtown Aurora. Photo by nycscout/flickr. (Aurora, Ind.) - President-elect Donald Trump has already helped keep jobs at Carrier’s plant in Indianapolis in the U.S., but will he save jobs at Aurora Casket from moving to Mexico? About 40 employees in Aurora have been laid off by Matthews International this year. Last August, the company told customers it would shift production of all 20-gauge, non-gasketed caskets to the company’s factory in Monterrey, Mexico. As many as 40 more layoffs may take place in 2017. The Huffington Post reports that Michael Mobley, the union steward at Matthews' Aurora plant, would like it if the local jobs received the same attention those in Indianapolis did from the President-elect. “We know we’re not going to get the headlines,” Mobley told the online publication. “That’s why we’d like to see NAFTA renegotiated.” The Huffington Post article also takes a look at Indiana-based Batesville Casket Company's plans to shift production from a plant in Batesville, Mississippi to Mexico. The move will put 200 people in Mississippi out of work. Jerry Autrey, the mayor of the town which coincidentally shares its name with Batesville, Indiana, told the website he is trying to do the same thing for his town that Trump did for Carrier. Chris Trainor, Batesville Casket Company president, said the plant closure is necessary because demand for burial caskets has steadily declined of the last few decades. The company expects the trend to continue. RELATED STORIES: LETTER: Cheaper Chinese Rivals Threaten Once-Great SEI Casket Industry LETTER: Commissioners Vow Support For Aurora Casket Employees Letter Indicates Aurora Casket Jobs Destined For Mexico