| WELLAND, Ontario, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Farm equipment maker Deere & Co., announced it is closing its only Canadian plant and wiping out 800 jobs next year. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS In a statement issued from its headquarters in Moline, Ill., Deere said the production of Gator utility vehicles will end in Welland, Ontario, and work will be reassigned to Wisconsin and Mexico by the end of 2009. The plant in the Niagara region has been operating for almost 100 years, the Globe and Mail reported. Canadian Auto Workers union spokesman Hemi Mitic told the newspaper hourly employees earn between $18 to $25. He said the rising value of the Canadian dollar was the root cause of the closure. "We knew when the Canadian dollar hit $1.10 (U.S.), we were in trouble", he told the newspaper. However, union leader Buzz Hargrove blamed free trade, noting Mexican workers are willing to accept as little as $2 an hour. "There was no hint of this happening", Hargrove told the Globe. "Right out of the blue. The Americans win and the Mexicans win and we lose." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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