Republican
President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday he was spending part of his
Thanksgiving holiday trying to convince an Indiana air conditioner maker to
stay in
the United States - reflecting his election campaign pledge to stop the
flow of jobs abroad.
Trump, who is also
weighing decisions on his Cabinet during a family retreat at his Mar-a-Lago
golf resort in Florida, said on Twitter that he was "working hard, even on
Thanksgiving, trying to get Carrier A.C. Company to stay in the U.S. (Indiana).
MAKING PROGRESS - Will know soon!"
Carrier Corp, a
division of United Technologies Corp (UTX.N),
responded on Twitter that the company has had "discussions with the
incoming administration" but had "nothing to announce at this
time." A representative for the company had no additional comment.
Earlier this year,
the company said it would move 1,400 jobs to Mexico from Indiana, giving a
three-year timetable for the shift.
The state's
Republican Governor Mike Pence - later picked by Trump as his vice-presidential
running mate - decried the decision, and spoke out against it often on the
campaign trail.
Trump made Carrier's
decision part of his rallying cry against trade deals that he said were
unfavorable to American workers and his campaign pledge to bring manufacturing
jobs back to America. He said he would slap taxes on the company's air
conditioners shipped back into the United States.
Asked by Reuters
last week whether the company was reconsidering its decision given Trump's
victory in the Nov. 8 election, the company said in a statement that it was
"making every effort" to help its Indiana employees during the shift.
"By providing
three years advance notice of the move and by funding education and retraining
programs for up to four years after the move is complete, we are providing
employees with both time and opportunity to help them to make a smooth
transition," the company said.
Carrier also cited
an agreement it had reached with the United Steelworkers union about
compensation for affected workers.
Trump also railed
against Ford Motor Co (F.N)
during the campaign, and last week took a victory lap on Twitter after the
company informed him it would not shift production of a Lincoln sport utility
vehicle to Mexico from Kentucky.
"I worked hard
with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky," Trump tweeted.
Ford had never
considered moving the whole factory south of the border, but said it was
encouraged by Trump's business policies.
Trump, who takes
office on Jan. 20, announced two new picks on Wednesday for his Cabinet - South
Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and
wealthy Republican donor and school choice advocate Betsy DeVos to lead the
Education Department.
A spokesman for his
transition team said there would be no announcements on Thursday.
Reuters
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