Ford Motor Co. plans to close its St. Paul, Minnesota, and Norfolk, Virginia, assembly plants as part of the automaker's broader restructuring plan, local United Auto Workers union officials said on Thursday. Ford's restructuring plan, dubbed "Way Forward," calls for the closing of 14 plants, including seven assembly plants, and slashing up to 30,000 blue-collar jobs.
See "Ford to Close Virginia, Minnesota Plants: Union", Reuters, The New York Times, April 12, 2006