The Detroit City Council Tuesday voted to approve final agreements necessary to allow Auburn Hills’ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to invest $2.5 billion into a new assembly plant in Detroit, upgrade the Jefferson North Assembly Plant, and create 4,950 new middle-class union jobs in the city. Detroit residents will have priority in FCA’s hiring process.
Construction is expected to begin on the new plant this summer, and the hiring process for Detroit residents will begin in July. The hiring process for the general public will begin in August.
The city assembled 215 acres of land and completed a community benefits process that resulted in a $35 million package of neighborhood-based investments and improvements. The new assembly plant will be the first in the city in nearly 30 years, and the first new U.S. auto assembly plant in 11 years.
“I’d like to thank our partners on city council and members of the neighborhood advisory council for this project for their diligence throughout this process,” says Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “I’d also like to thank Mike Manley and FCA for their vote of confidence in our city’s workforce and their commitment to give Detroit residents the opportunity to be considered first in the application process for the life of this new assembly plant.”
When FCA opens the application process, residents will be able to find the latest information at Detroit at Work, available here and at the organization’s offices. Detroit residents who meet FCA job criteria will have a four-week window to apply early. The application time frame dates have not yet been finalized and will be posted on the site once available.
The basic FCA job requirements say applicants must be 18 years of age or older, have a high school diploma or equivalent, have a state or federal ID, be eligible to work in the U.S., pass a drug screen and physical (applicants whose drug tests show marijuana use will fail the test), and pass a background check.
Detroit at Work will host a series of FCA information sessions in June across the city to help Detroit residents make sure they meet all minimum qualifications to be hired at the plant. Residents who do not meet all the requirements will be offered assistance, so they meet them by the time the early application window opens.
Residents can fill out an interest form on the website that will alert them via text when the pre-registration process begins. They can be on the FCA priority application list by pre-registering online, attending one of the June information sessions, and meet the minimum FCA hiring requirements.
Application prioritization will be given in this order: United Auto Workers employees who were laid off or who are current temporary employees at one of the sites; Detroit residents who reside in the impact area – ZIP codes 48213, 48214, and 48215 – as well as veterans and returning citizens; other Detroit residents; and members of the general public.
Detroit at Work Career Centers are located at Samaritan Center, 5555 Conner; SER Metro, 9301 Michigan Ave.; and Northwest Activities Center at 18100 Meyers.
