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Carrier workers react to deal to keep jobs in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Hours after Carrier and President-elect Donald Trump announced they had reached a deal to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in Indianapolis, workers told 24-Hour News 8 they were cautiously optimistic.

According to the Trump campaign website, Trump and Pence will hold a closed to the public event with Carrier at 2 p.m.Thursday afternoon.

One worker hadn’t heard the news before 24-Hour News 8 told him. That worker, who did not want to give his name, said he doesn’t believe jobs are safe yet.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said the worker.

The worker said he wanted to learn more about the deal and if he would keep his job before getting his hopes up.

Charles Floyd, another Carrier worker, said he’s hoping for the best, but he is still worried about the people who may lose their jobs.

“It’s a good that some will keep their jobs, but I wonder about the ones that ain’t going to keep their jobs. So now that they ain’t moving to Mexico does the contract still stand to where they’ll get whatever they were supposed to get when they are laid off? Or are they just out of luck? So, just got to wait and see what the details are behind everything. But it’s good some people will keep their jobs,” said Floyd.

Carrier had planned to move around 1,400 jobs to Mexico. It’s not yet clear what jobs will stay in Indianapolis and which workers could still lose their jobs.

“I just got to roll with the flow, if I lose it, I go look for another one. If I don’t, hey I’m happy,” said Floyd.

Trump and Pence are expected to announce more details about the deal when they visit Indianapolis on Thursday.

Carrier released the following statement on the deal on Wednesday:

Carrier has had very productive conversations in recent days with President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Pence.

We have negotiated an agreement with the incoming administration that we believe benefits our workers, the state of Indiana and our company.

We are announcing today that Carrier will continue to manufacture gas furnaces in Indianapolis, in addition to retaining engineering and headquarters staff, preserving more than 1,000 jobs.

Carrier will also designate its Indianapolis manufacturing facility as a Center of Excellence for gas furnace production, with a commitment to making significant investments to continue to maintain a world-class furnace factory.

Today’s announcement is possible because the incoming Trump-Pence administration has emphasized to us its commitment to support the business community and create an improved, more competitive U.S. business climate. The incentives offered by the state were an important consideration.

This agreement in no way diminishes our belief in the benefits of free trade and that the forces of globalization will continue to require solutions for the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. and of American workers moving forward.