With no Trump-style incentives, Tyler lost its Carrier plant to Mexico
When air conditioner manufacturer Carrier Corp. announced in November it would keep hundreds of jobs slated for Mexico in Indiana instead, it felt personal to residents of the East Texas town of Tyler. Just three years ago, hundreds lost their jobs there when a Carrier plant shut down and relocated to Mexico.
At the time, it felt like a crushing blow. Workers at the Tyler plant had offered to take an hourly pay cut to keep their jobs, said Tom Mullins, president and CEO of Tyler’s Economic Development Council. It wasn’t enough to keep the plant from relocating to Monterrey.
But while some locals watched enviously as President-elect Donald Trump helped induce Carrier to stay in Indiana — to the tune of about $7 million in tax breaks and other incentives — the company's decision to leave Tyler has not been as devastating as some initially feared. Another air conditioning manufacturer has moved into part of Carrier’s old facility, and the local economy has partly rebounded in other ways, according to local officials.
In the community, there remains disagreement about whether Trump's approach represents a dangerous trend toward corporate welfare — or signals a new era for public incentives.
Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/01/05/tyler-carrier-plant/
