Employees at two Nissan North American plants in Tennessee are both highly productive and slow to leave the plants, so Nissan is offering them buy out programs. The voluntary transition program for plants in Smyrna and Decherd offers employees a $45,000 lump sum payment and additional $500 for each year of service.
Nissan employs 5,200 hourly employees at its vehicle assembly plant in Smyrna, and 1,000 hourly employees at its powertrain assembly plant in Decherd.
The company explained that the higher demand for its passenger cares, such as the Altima sedan and soon-to-be-released Altima Coupe, combined with lower demand for trucks and sport utility vehicles results in a manufacturing mix that is less labor-intensive to build and that requires fewer assembly workers.
"We will provide our hourly employees with as much information as they need to make an informed decision, and we expect around 300 will accept the program," said Dan Gaudette, senior vice president of North American Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. "If they choose to take advantage of this offer, we'll do our best to help them make a smooth transition into the next phase of their lives."
