Workers at Nissan’s Tennessee manufacturing plants have until tomorrow to take a buyout offer worth as much as 125-thousand dollars.
Of the 66-hundred employees offered the buyout, assembly line leader Todd Napier of Portland has made up his mind. He says he’s tired of driving 55-miles each way to Smyrna. The 46-year-old says his children are mostly grown and he’s ready to strike up another career after 16 years with Nissan.
“You don’t just walk away from a job without something to go to. Yeah, it’s a big step. But you know, they have to give you enough money. Insurance for a year. Two years salary or more, if nothing does come along. I hope this economy don’t stay this way forever.”
Napier says he may go back to school if a job doesn’t fall into place over night. But there’s no turning back. He’s already signed his waiver and will quit working as soon as the company tells him to.
Those who are staying on at the plants in Decherd and Smyrna have their reasons. Some say the light at the end of the tunnel – retirement – is too close to forfeit. Others are too timid to test the waters of the current job market.
Nissan is hoping some 12-hundred of its hourly employees take the buyout, which is the biggest lump sum the automaker has ever offered. If the company meets its goal, that would be a 120-million dollar payout, at a minimum.
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