WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded news of  a proposed $365 million Chrysler Group LLC investment in the Toledo Assembly Complex, which the Toledo Blade reports will add 55 management jobs and 1,050 new production jobs.

“Today’s report on Chrysler’s investment plans is indicative of the successful partnership of workers, the community, and Chrysler,” Brown said. “By expanding the Toledo Complex and creating new manufacturing and auto supply jobs in Ohio, this American auto manufacturer shows that the auto rescue wasn’t just about saving the Big 3, it was also about investing in Ohio manufacturers who make the auto parts used in some of America’s most popular cars.”

Brown has been an outspoken advocate for Ohio’s auto industry. In November of 2008, he introduced S. 3175, the Auto Industry Emergency Bridge Loan Act, with a bipartisan group of colleagues. In December 2008, Brown fought to ensure that funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) were allocated to aid the Big 3 and American auto suppliers. At the start of 2009, Brown applauded President Obama’s decision to advance restructuring plans to ensure the viability of the American auto industry.

In January 2011, as the Toledo Auto Show kicked off, Brown called on the Chrysler Group to fully utilize the Toledo Assembly Complex by adding a new production line to the facility as part of the company’s planned 2011 expansion. Brown previously visited the Toledo Assembly Complex with Vice President Joe Biden in August 2010. At that visit, Brown and Biden touted the success thus far of the Administration’s actions to strengthen the American auto industry, including the role of the Administration’s investments in GM and Chrysler in helping these companies return to profitability, retain and hire workers, and keep plants open. 

In June, Brown met with workers and toured the Chrysler Group’s Toledo Supplier Park with President Obama. Prior to the auto rescue, only 55 percent of the parts in Chrysler’s Jeep Wrangler were made in America. Today, 70 percent of the Jeep Wrangler is American-made – with many parts made in Ohio. The glass is made in Crestline, the steering column in Perrysburg, the seats in Northwood, the hard top in Carey, and cargo components in Holmesville.

According to a 2010 study by the Center for Automotive Research, more than 792,000 Ohio jobs depend on the auto industry; this figure includes 120,285 direct employment (people employed directly by auto industry: 39,685 by automakers and 80,600 by parts suppliers); 276,330 indirect employment (jobs indirectly employed by automakers or parts suppliers: 167,891 by automakers and 108,439 by parts suppliers); and 395,981 spin-off employment (expenditure-induced employment resulting from spending by direct and intermediate employees; 221,018 by automakers and 174,963 by suppliers). A 2011 study by the Center for Automotive Research found that 164,654 jobs in 2009 would have been lost in Ohio if the auto industry had not been rescued.

A list of Jeep Wrangler suppliers throughout Ohio can be found here.

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