Rexnord Corp. is pressing ahead with plans to close a factory in Indianapolis and shift many of those jobs to Mexico despite a public shaming from President-elect Donald Trump.
Milwaukee-based Rexnord, a maker of ball bearings and valves, said in a notice Indiana officials received on Friday that it would begin laying off the factory’s approximately 350 employees around Feb. 13.
The layoffs are expected to continue through June, Rexnord said in a notice the company is required by law to provide to employees ahead of their termination.
A Rexnord spokeswoman said Indianapolis employees would earn extra pay if they help train workers visiting from Monterrey, Mexico, and McAllen, Texas. They aren’t required to do so, she said.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump castigated Rexnord in a Twitter post.
He has also criticized United Technologies Corp.’s Carrier unit for plans to move jobs to Mexico, and Boeing Co. for what he said are cost overruns in building new Air Force One jets to carry the president.
“Rexnord of Indiana is moving to Mexico and rather viciously firing all of its 300 workers,” Mr. Trump wrote on Dec. 2. “This is happening all over our country. No more!”
The Rexnord spokeswoman said the company would wind down its Indianapolis operations between April and June. She said the company would retain 25 Indianapolis office jobs there and in Milwaukee. The company is adding 50 jobs in Texas, she added.
Rexnord said more than half its workforce, about 4,000 employees, are in the U.S.
“Difficult decisions are a part of today’s business environment,” Rexnord said. “To be a viable company that contributes to economic growth, we must meet customers’ needs with high-quality products at competitive prices.”
A spokeswoman for the Indiana Economic Development Corp. declined to comment.
Mr. Jones, the union leader, still hopes Rexnord might reverse the decision. “We’re still fighting the fight to keep them from moving,” Mr. Jones said.