Toyota is closing its Erlanger, Ky. headquarters which means nearly 1,600 jobs from that facility will be moving to Texas.
The move was announced on Monday, April 28, but it’s not expected to begin until 2017.
All of the jobs from its U.S. Headquarters in California will also be moving to Texas along with other management positions currently in New York.
Toyota says the new headquarters will bring together employees who are now scattered around the country.
Gov. Steve Beshear released the following statement:Â
“Obviously, we are extremely disappointed by Toyota’s decision. We would have welcomed the opportunity to discuss options with Toyota, but we will now turn our attention to preparing for this transition.
We also are disappointed that the lives of hundreds of Kentuckians will be disrupted, and we pledge to assist those families however we possibly can. This transition will take two to three years to achieve, and Toyota has assured us that the company plans to offer industry-leading programs and packages to its people.
In the past 30 years, Toyota has invested approximately $6 billion in Kentucky. And with 300 jobs moving from Erlanger to Georgetown and 750 new jobs being added to support production of the Lexus ES 350, there will be some 8,200 Toyota employees in Kentucky after the move. The Toyota officials have assured us that a continued strong presence in Kentucky is central to Toyota’s ongoing success.
Kentucky remains a powerful force in auto manufacturing, and we will do everything possible to maintain and strengthen Kentucky’s position as one of the top states for the auto industry.â€
This move comes on the heels of Toyota’s recent exit from Australia after labor disputes and after closing it’s last union plant in the United States. Â It is notable that all of the jobs are being relocated to “Right to Work” states (Texas and Michigan) from non right to work states (Kentucky, New York, and California).
