Chelsea Schneider, Tony Cook, James Briggs, and Chris Sikich

IndyStar

UPDATE 4:00 PM:

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has offered Carrier up to $5 million in conditional tax credits over the next 10 years based on the company's plan to retain 1,069 jobs with an average wage of $30.91 per hour in Indianapolis, according to spokeswoman Abby Gras.

The IEDC also offered up to $1 million in training grants to support workforce development, she said, and up to $1 million in tax credits subject to the company's future investment in its Indianapolis facility.

UPDATE 4:00 PM:

Mayor Joe Hogsett released a statement:

“Today’s announcement is welcome news for hundreds of hardworking Indianapolis families and I am thankful that it appears many dedicated Carrier employees will continue to have good-paying jobs in this city.

"As Mayor, I’m mindful of who wasn’t in the room today – hundreds more Indianapolis workers whose jobs are leaving or have already left our city. We owe it to those families to come together as a state and a country to enact much-needed reform that will prevent future offshoring of Indianapolis jobs and invest in our local workforce.

"Working families in Indianapolis need our help more than ever, and I will continue to fight for them each and every day.”

UPDATE 3:30 PM:

President-elect Trump began his remarks by praising Pence.

Mike has been such a wise decision for me, he said. "Everybody loves Mike."

Trump said he used the job losses at Carrier as an example during his campaign of the wide spread loss of manufacturing jobs. He said he meant that he would save more manufacturing jobs from leaving the country in the future and not a specific campaign promise to save jobs at Carrier. He said he saw a Carrier employee on TV say that he had promised to save the Carrier jobs and later decided to act.

"I was talking about Carrier like all other companies from here on in, because they made the decision a year and a half ago."

Trump said he got involved because "this has been a very special state for us."

Trump said he called Greg Hayes, the president of Carrier's parent corporation, and spoke about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the Rust Belt. Trump said he told Hayes he had to do something.

"It's wonderful to win."

Trump said United Technologies "stepped it up."

Trump told Carrier officials "so many people are going to be buying Carrier air conditioners." It should be noted they make furnaces in Indianapolis, not air conditioners.

Trump said Carrier's Indianapolis employment is going to "go up substantially" from 1,100. It's currently at 1,400. The Wall Street Journal is reporting 800 employees whose jobs were to be cut will be retained.

Trump: "Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences. Not gonna happen."

Trump never disclosed terms of the deal in his speech.

UPDATE 2:59 PM:

Gov. Pence, the vice president elect, said it's "great to be back home again in Indiana. And this is a great day for Indiana."

He said it's a great day for working people all across the United States. Since the 1950s, he said, Carrier has been part of a manufacturing success story.

Pence says Carrier will "stay and grow" in Indiana. He thanks President-elect Donald Trump. He said Trump picked up the phone and "talked one American to another."

Pence said Trump made the case for America, and Carrier decided to bet on a brighter future for the American people.

Pence said Trump kept his word to keep Carrier in Indy.

"It's a renewed day for manufacturing in America."

Pence said policies coming out of nation's capitol were driving jobs out of country. "What was missing was leadership" and change, he said.

What a difference a year makes, Pence said, the truth be told, job announcements are almost a daily thing here in state of Indiana.

Pence never discussed terms of the deal in his speech.

UPDATE 2:55 PM:

CEO of United Technologies Greg Hayes is welcoming Trump and Pence. He thanked Carrier workers for their "dedication/loyalty."

Hayes said tax reform is a thoughtful approach to regulation, giving confidence for the future of manufacturing. He said United Technologies will invest $16 million in the facility and looks "forward to this facility continuing to deliver industry-leading products."

UPDATE:

Walking and talking on a royal blue industrial concrete floor at the Carrier plant with United Technologies CEO Greg Hayes, PEOTUS Trump, with VP-elect Pence by his side, came towards the pool under crisscrossing green and red pipes. Pence pointed and gave a thumbs up to the workers. Not to be outdone the president-elect twice did the same thing, extending his arm and saying hello, ending with a thumbs up.

With signs that said "blower," "burner box," and "gas valve" above Trump, Bloomberg's Kevin Cirilli asked him what he thought about the deal with Carrier. "I think it's great," Trump said.

Trump walked to separate worker stations to speak to workers out of earshot of the pool and was greeted by a man taking a cell phone video with an American flag "Make America Great Again" hat.

The pool stopped in front of a Carrier worker on an assembly line who said she was adding pressure switches to furnaces.

Trump came towards the assembly line and said hello to a different employee, an African-American woman, greeting her and touching her arm. Pence said hello to her too. She brandished a navy Make America Great Again Hat and they posed for photos, as she flashed a huge smile and gave a thumbs up.

Trump then walked over to the assembly line, touching some of the machinery and saying "wow."

PEOTUS then looked up to the pool and said, "Exciting, very exciting. Over 1,100 jobs," signifying that he had learned the the figure from United Technologies CEO Greg Hayes.

Next Trump spoke to a Hispanic employee named Mario, but not before shaking the hand of a black employee in a teal and gray White sox hat.

The plant was loud so your pooler couldn't hear their conversation but Trump squeezed Mario's shoulder and turning towards the pool said "they're going to have a good Christmas."

Trump then went rogue — instead of turning right towards the press conference he turned left for a detour to say hello to a crowd of workers who had amassed behind a barrier and cheered him. Trump walked up to them and shook their hands as they cheered and took pictures of him.

At the press conference United Technologies CEO Greg Hayes reiterated that Trump was saving 1,100 jobs. He introduced Mike Pence who thanked Trump "for picking up the phone, for keeping his word" on the Carrier deal. Next report will have more from Trump.

— Maureen Groppe via the press pool

UPDATE 2:38 PM:

Trump, Pence and Indiana's governor-elect Eric Holcolmb are touring the Carrier facility.

UPDATE 2:31

Tump's remarks after his tour of Carrier are set to last approximately 15 minutes.

Pence will speak before Trump and the first speaker is expected to be CEO of United Technologies Greg Hayes, the parent company of Carrier.

UPDATE 2:08 PM:

Fox59 is reporting that President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence have landed at Indianapolis International Airport. The motorcade is moving toward Carrier.

UPDATE 1:41 PM:

Just a mile from the Carrier facility, where Rexnord Corp. is planning to send 300 jobs to Mexico early next year, the news of the reprieve is bittersweet.

Rexnord employees and Carrier workers are members of the same union, United Steelworkers Local 1999. Rexnord workers have stood alongside Carrier workers at protests. They were elated when word came that 1,000 Carrier jobs would be saved. And it stirred hope that perhaps the moment was right to make the case for their own jobs. But it is an admitted longshot that lightning could strike twice.

"Is there hope?" asked John Feltner, a Rexnord machinist. "There's always hope. But, in reality, our jobs are gone."

Just in case, Rexnord workers planned to line the motorcade root to show themselves to the president-elect and make their case known.

UPDATE 1:02 PM:

Carrier officials released a statement when asked whether a report they had been offered a $7 million tax break over 10 years was accurate.

“The state of Indiana has offered Carrier a $7 million package over multiple years, contingent upon factors including employment, job retention and capital investment.”

UPDATE 11:52 AM:

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Indiana officials have agreed to give United Technologies $7 million in tax breaks over a decade.

United Technologies will invest roughly $16 million in its Indiana facilities, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The deal would save 800 jobs from the Indianapolis furnace plant and 300 research and development positions that were not going to go to Mexico, the Wall Street Journal reported.

UPDATE 11:41 AM:

A Trump transition spokesman called the Carrier deal being announced today a big win for the incoming administration and “an even bigger win for the people of Indiana.”

When asked by a reporter if Carrier is willing to keep some of their jobs in Indianapolis so the parent company – defense contractor United Technologies – could maintain a good relationship with Trump, spokesman Jason Miller said the deal “is about keeping American jobs within America.”

“This is about the president-elect and vice-president elect making good on their promise to go to bat for American workers, which they’re doing so, even before they’re actually sworn in,” Miller said in a call with reporters.

He declined to give additional details about the deal before Trump and Pence tour Carrier today.

UPDATE 11:05 AM:

Associated Press

HUNTINGTON, Ind. - A 700-worker factory in northeastern Indiana facing closure doesn’t seem part of a deal President-elect Donald Trump struck with its parent company to keep hundreds of jobs at an Indianapolis plant.

The closing of the Huntington factory was announced the same day in February as the shuttering of the 1,400-worker Carrier plant in Indianapolis. Production from both United Technologies-owned plants was to be shifted to Mexico over the next few years.

Huntington factory union local president Bill Davis tells WANE-TV he could tell from the announcement of Trump’s Carrier deal that it was only aimed at the Indianapolis jobs. Huntington is 105 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

Huntington plant worker Mike Harmon says Trump only talked during his campaign about the Indianapolis factory and he feels the Huntington employees were forgotten.

UPDATE 10:46 AM:

USA TODAY

Donald Trump may be celebrating his deal with an Indiana-based heating and air conditioning manufacturer to keep 1,000 jobs in the United States but Bernie Sanders doesn’t think it’s good enough.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Thursday the Vermont senator bashed Trump for what he said is sending a signal to American corporations that they can threaten to leave the United States in exchange for government incentives.

“Trump has endangered the jobs of workers who were previously safe in the United States,” Sanders wrote. “Why? Because he has signaled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives.”

Trump frequently threatened to hit Carrier with high taxes if they moved to Mexico.

“Just a short few months ago, Trump was pledging to force United Technologies to 'pay a damn tax.' He was insisting on very steep tariffs for companies like Carrier that left the United States and wanted to sell their foreign-made products back in the United States. Instead of a damn tax, the company will be rewarded with a damn tax cut. Wow!” Sanders continued.

Sanders called for companies threatening to outsource to pay a “tax equal to the amount of money it expects to save by moving factories to Mexico or other low-wage countries.” He also called for the government to refuse contacts and corporate welfare for any outsourcing corporations.

UPDATE 8:52 AM:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump is poised to take a victory lap on Thursday, appearing first in Indiana to salute workers at a factory that he made a campaign promise to save and then in Ohio on the first stop of a “Thank You Tour” to honor the supporters in states that gave him his stunning victory.

The Midwest swing will be the first time Trump, who has shown an early inclination to revel in the role of showman-in-chief, has barnstormed across the country since the campaign. And both stops will feature Trump declaring victory after a campaign built on the lament that “we don’t win anymore” as a nation.

But some questions remain about the extent of victory at Carrier, which announced this week that it will keep an Indianapolis plant open. In February, the heating and air conditioning company said that it would shutter the plant and send jobs to Mexico, and video of angry workers being informed about the decision soon went viral.

Trump will tour the factory with his running mate Mike Pence — who, as the outgoing governor of Indiana, was well-situated to aid negotiations — and then the president-elect will give a speech about the deal, aides said.

But the scant details that have emerged so far raise doubts how many jobs will be saved.

By enabling the plant to stay open, the deal spares about 800 union workers whose jobs were going to be outsourced to Mexico, according to federal officials who were briefed by the company. This suggests that hundreds will still lose their jobs at the factory, where roughly 1,400 workers were slated to be laid off.

Also, neither Trump nor Carrier has yet to say what the workers might have to give up or precisely what threats or incentives were used to get the manufacturer to change its mind. The company attributed its decision to the incoming Trump administration and financial incentives provided by Indiana, which is something of a reversal, since earlier offers from the state had failed to sway Carrier from decamping to Mexico.

The other victory Trump will celebrate Thursday is far more clear-cut: his own on Election Day.

Trump will hold a campaign-style rally in Cincinnati, the first of several stops on the “USA Thank You Tour 2016” planned this month to revisit the states that helped him capture the White House. Trump, who has long spoken of feeding off the energy of his raucous crowds, first floated the idea of a victory tour just days after winning the election, only to instead prioritize filling some of his Cabinet positions.

Trump, who convincingly won Ohio, is also expected to hold rallies in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Michigan in the coming weeks, though details have yet to be announced

EARLIER: President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence will visit Indianapolis on Thursday to formally announce Carrier's decision to maintain operations in the city.

Their visit follows the company's confirmation it reached an agreement with the incoming administration to preserve jobs in Indianapolis. The development was a stunning reversal from the heating and air conditioning manufacturer’s plans to shutter its Indianapolis factory. Carrier will maintain gas furnace production at the plant, company officials said.

Trump and Pence are expected to address workers at Carrier at 2 p.m today. The event is not open to the public.

Trump campaigned on keeping manufacturing jobs in the U.S., and promised he would convince Carrier to stay in Indianapolis — or punish the company if it refused. Trump has said he would impose a 35 percent tariff on companies that move jobs outside the U.S.

Carrier said incentives offered by the state were an "important consideration” in its decision. John Mutz, an Indiana Economic Development Corp. board member, told IndyStar the incentives would be in line with what the state has offered the company in the past. After Carrier's February announcement that it would relocate to Mexico, and at the urging of Pence, the company refunded $380,000 in training grants to the state in April. The state also revoked the most recent $300,000 grant.

IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack contributed to this story.

IndyStar reporter Holly Hays contributed to this story.



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