Last engine rolls off Chrysler line in Kenosha

KENOSHA, Wis. — The former American Motors auto plant in Kenosha employed some 14,000 people in its heyday.

On Friday, the last Chrysler engine rolled off the line there, bringing an end to auto-production work that spanned multiple generations.

The 500 still employed at the plant will retire or take jobs at other Chrysler facilities in Illinois and Michigan.

Chrysler spokeswoman Jodi Tinson says a few engines will still be built in Kenosha next week because of a previous issue with parts. But she says for all practical purposes, Friday was the plant's last day.

United Auto Workers Local 72 regional representative John Drew says his local was one of the founding units of the UAW in 1935. He tells the Journal Sentinel there will be a hole in his heart when the last engine is finished.