Kentucky bought our jobs.
That was the blunt assessment Friday morning by Aaron Patterson, president of United Steelworkers of
American Local 1152L, just hours after the union was notified that Cooper Standard Automotive would be
permanently closing its hose plant on Van Camp Road in Bowling Green.
"Our members are devastated," he said.
Patterson said that Kentucky offered $24 million in tax incentives and training funds to keep a plant in
Mount Sterling open and bring work from Bowling Green there. In addition to those new funds, Patterson
said, the state extended $15 million in tax benefits from the initial package given the company when it
first open the Kentucky plant about a decade ago.
In contrast Ohio’s package was worth about $1 million.
"In a nutshell," Patterson said, "Kentucky has bought Bowling Green, Ohio’s jobs."

The plant employs about 200, including 174 union members.
In 2009 the union had made wage concessions worth about $2.3 million and was ready to make more to close
the $4 an hour gap between wages in Bowling Green and Mount Sterling. They never got a chance to put
that offer on the table though, Patterson said.
The company announced Friday that the plant would close within the year. The union was notified that the
layoffs would begin April 5 of this year and continue in phases for as long as 18 months.
In announcing the closure, the company said it had too much manufacturing space for the amount of work.
The work done in Bowling Green will go to Kentucky and a Cooper-Standard plant Atlacomulco, Mexico.
Sharon Wenzl, spokeswoman for Cooper-Standard said: “This decision was
based on multiple economic factors only one of which is the incentives
that were received from the State of Kentucky.”
The company had told workers in early January that it was reviewing the future of the plant.
Cooper-Standard officials have been "up front" abut their intentions throughout the process,
Patterson said.
Because of the Mexican connection, Bowling Green workers will apply for assistance under the Trade
Adjustment Assistance program, Patterson said. That program assists workers who have suffered because of
free trade agreements. He didn’t know if the workers would be determined to be eligible for the aid.
Mary DeWitt, training supervisor for Wood County Job Solutions, said she is making contact with plant
officials to determine how her agency can assist workers.
Job Solutions itself can help unemployed workers finding new jobs and training. The county agency will
also bring in "a slew" of the experts to help address benefits and other issues the workers
may be facing.
Meanwhile, Patterson said, the union has been told by State Rep. Randy Gardner that there is some
interest by another entity in purchasing the plant.
Patterson said that Gardner has been working closely with the union. "Randy Gardner has been a great
ally and an absolute blessing for the membership."
He said Jesse Gannon of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office worked provided assistance. Brown as well as
Congressman Robert Latta sent letters to the company, pleading Bowling Green’s case.
Friday Brown issued a statement saying he was "deeply disappointed by Cooper-Standard’s
decision."
He also used the occasion to call for the extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance, which is set to
expire next week.
Patterson said he was afraid the closure would be blamed on the union and high wages.
Instead it was a matter of the lowering of American quality standards to what is produced in Mexico and
China.
He said the Bowling Green plant was better than its peers within the company in productivity, efficiency,
quality and profitability.
While the jobs for now are going to Kentucky, no American worker should feel safe, he said. "This is
nothing short of chasing cheap labor."