INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana—Dragging on a cigarette as he sits in the hall of United Steelworkers Local 1999, Robert James says, “Trump stood on stage and lied about 1,100 jobs being saved at Carrier in Indianapolis.”

James, 57, is the local vice president and a forklift driver who’s worked for 18 years at the Indiana-based factory that manufactures furnaces for homes. In February 2016 Carrier told more than 2,000 workers at two factories in the Hoosier State they were going to be fired and production would shift to Monterrey, Mexico. After a video of the workers being fired went viral, Trump made Carrier a poster-child of offshoring during the presidential campaign. Following his victory, Trump turned the screws on Carrier to keep jobs in the United States.

That enabled Trump to sweep into Indianapolis on December 1 as a job-saving hero. He announced before a packed house of employees and news media that more than 1,100 jobs would stay in the Carrier plant.

But the numbers Trump announced don’t add up. When James and other union leaders met with the company right before Trump went on stage, they were told 730 union jobs would be saved at the Indianapolis plantâ€•nearly 400 less than Trump announced. Trump was apparently including 350 engineering and administrative employees, but they were never leaving. That meant 550 workers would lose their jobs in Indianapolis as well as 738 workers at Huntington, which would shut down entirely.

That made James angry. He was one of the workers selected to appear before Trump as the news media broadcast the event live, but was in no mood to meet with the president-elect or shake his hand.

It was left to James and USW Local 1999 President Chuck Jones to dash the hopes of many workers. “We had to explain to workers that number was wrong. The workers were shocked that the number of jobs saved were lower than they thought. A lot said, ‘That’s fucked up.’”

Jones was more pointed, telling the media the president-elect “lied his ass off” about the jobs saved. That earned him Trump’s wrath, leading to threats pouring in such as, “You better keep your eye on your kids” and “We’re coming for you.” Jones says, “It really pissed me off he misled people their jobs might be saved. He didn’t want to get up and tell people part of the plant is going to stay and part of the plant is going to Mexico.”

At the Local 1999 hall, wolfing down a cheeseburger and fries for lunch as he conducts media interviews, Jones says he is “grateful for the 730 jobs Trump did save.” But he points out this was a one-off deal. Jones says because Carrier’s parent company, United Technologies, does $6.7 billion in federal business, mainly for the Pentagon, “Trump had a helluva bargaining chip with the military contracts.”

Jones and others attribute the move to “corporate greed.” He says, “It’s all about money. Carrier is a very profitable company. Because they can pay the Mexican workers $3 an hour to enhance their profitability, they will do it.” UT earned $7.6 billion in 2015, has squirreled away $29 billion offshore , and is buying back $16 billion in stock to boost its share price.

Union leaders haven’t seen any details of the deal between Trump and Carrier. Jones says, “We don’t know if we are even going to see a formal agreement, anything in writing. Do I trust them? Hell no.” He is also wary of Carrier’s plan for $16 million in investments that include automation. “Two years after they put the automation in, it makes it a lot easier to move the plant.”

James agrees, “I don’t trust Trump and I don’t trust Carrier. If you were going to take my job once, you’ll do it again. I feel Carrier is going to move the whole damn plant out in a few years.” He says the union probably won’t learn of the company’s plans until 2018, when the next contract comes up for negotiation.

In Jones’ estimation, “Trump used Carrier workers.” He says, “Very few of them who are losing their jobs are going to come out alright. Carrier’s average wage is $23 an hour. Rexnord’s is $25 an hour. There’s not a lot of jobs paying that out there. They’ll have to work two jobs—‘Would you like fries with that?’—for less money and no benefits.”

“Trump did a helluva masterful job telling working class people he would be their champion.” But rather than make America great again, says Jones, Trump is leading “a race to the bottom” with comments like “all workers, they make too much money.”

BURGER FLIPPER

Frank Staples is one of those on the chopping block at Carrier. A 12-year company veteran, he says, “I was ecstatic about Trump’s announcement.” But when he realized he was among those losing their jobs, Staples says, “I felt disrespected by the company we poured our soul into. What they did is just downright shameful.”

As for Trump, Staples says, “My opinions haven’t changed. Trump is still a jackass. Trump says Northern workers make too much, move it down to the Southern states. I can’t trust him. I think he says a lot of shit because people want to hear it. They vote for whoever lies the best. I’ve always been a Bernie man. He’s for the working people.”

At age 37, Staples is uncertain about his future. “I really don’t know what’s going to come next. I have a high-school diploma. I’m not stupid; I’m smart. They say we have jobs. It’s $8-an-hour flip burger jobs.”

Staples biggest worry is losing healthcare coverage. “If they get ride of ACA, how am I going to pay my insurance, pay my meds. I’ve had my shoulder replaced. I’ve had three heart attacks.”

‘A UNION JOB ALLOWED ME TO RAISE A FAMILY’

Staples is one of 17 workers interviewed by the Raw Story at two Carrier plants in Indianapolis and Huntington, and a Rexnord facility in Indianapolis that makes ball bearings. All three factories are moving to Monterrey, Mexico. Trump singled out both companies for moving jobs, pledging to stop offshoring.

While the jobs in Huntington pay only $14 to $18 an hour, nearly every worker there says the healthcare and benefits they receive is indispensable. Katherine Kumfer, 27, who immigrated from Peru as a teenager, says Carrier pays $5 an hour less than her previous job as a hair stylist but she took the position for the benefits.

Kumfer says, “I have two kids, 4 and 6, so I need the healthcare, and they are paying for my education for accounting. I can’t afford student loans. I can’t afford to pay them back, just like the rest of the population out there.”

Workers at the Indianapolis plants can make $70,000 a year with overtime. Robert James says, “A union job allowed me to raise a family and own a home.” He says it also allows him to take care of his wife who has health problems and look forward to a secure if simple retirement.