A United Steelworkers official blamed free trade agreement with Mexico for the possible closure of the
Cooper-Standard plant on Van Camp Road in Bowling Green.
John Knauss, an international representative for the United Steelworkers who works with workers at both
Cooper-Standard plants in Bowling Green, met with Graeme Hodson, director of operations for the company,
early this week to discuss the status of the plant.
Hodson told Knauss that he was recommending the plant close by the end of the year. That recommendation
must still be approved by the Cooper-Standard Board of Directors, which will meet next week in Novi,
Mich., where the firm is based.
Knauss said Hodson talked about how "flat" business was in the automotive industry, and how it
was difficult it was to submit quotes on jobs from Bowling Green.
The company has said that the cost of making hoses at the Van Camp plant was higher than at the company’s
two other plants, one in Kentucky and one in Mexico, that make the same parts. Neither of those plants
has a unionized workforce.
If the Van Camp plant were to close then the majority of its work is expected to be shipped to Mexico.

According to Knauss, company officials said automotive executives were indicating they only wanted quotes
from Mexican plants because of the higher costs in the U.S.
The Sentinel-Tribune requested an interview with Hodson, but the company had not made him available as of
Friday afternoon.
The problem with the free trade promoted by the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to Knauss,
is that "there’s nothing free about it."
He said he has no problem with free trade with Canada because the two countries are on equal footing. But
Mexico is not at that stage of development. "We don’t oppose Mexico moving up in the world, but I
don’t think NAFTA is the answer." Given the continued problem of illegal immigration, Mexicans
haven’t benefited by the agreement.
Local employees, Knauss said, understand the competitive pressures in the industry and have made
concessions to reduce costs.
"This local believed in the company when they were telling them they needed those concessions,"
he said, to keep work in Bowling Green.
"And this is their reward," he said.
He was also "shocked," that the company apparently expected the union officials to keep quiet
about the company’s recommendation, and officials were not pleased when word got out to the media.
Workers were told Wednesday morning.
"These guys are the most efficient, most productive," Knauss said, and the quality of the parts
is unmatched by those produced in Mexico.
"These are really great guys, great workers," Knauss said. "Unfortunately they’re living
in the wrong country, making the wrong amount of money."