Lehigh Valley lawmakers issue statement on Volvo Group’s heavy-duty truck plant announcement

ALLENTOWN, April 11 – Lehigh Valley legislators, state Reps. Peter Schweyer, Jeanne McNeill, Mike Schlossberg and Josh Siegel, all D-Lehigh; state Reps. Robert Freeman and Steve Samuelson, both D-Northampton; and state Senators Lisa Boscola and Nick Miller, both D-Lehigh, are responding to today’s announcement by Volvo Group to build a new heavy-duty truck plant in Mexico.

The following joint statement can be attributed to the above lawmakers: 

“Speaking on behalf of our constituents and every hard-working American employed at the Mack facility in Lehigh County, today’s announcement by the Volvo Group is certainly concerning. It is hard to understand why Volvo would choose to build this All-American line of trucks outside of the United States.

“We absolutely want Volvo in the Lehigh Valley; we view them as a key part of our local economy and our community. That is why we and many others have worked in good faith with Volvo Group to ensure their continued success in our region.

“But they should know that our loyalty is not with the corporation. Rather our priority will always be with the hard-working men and women that made Mack Trucks the successful and iconic brand that it is today.

“We appreciate Volvo Group’s continued investment in the Lehigh Valley and will work in good faith with them to ensure the long-term success at that facility.  In return, we expect that they return that good faith with a long-term and public commitment to the LVO Plant.

“Our region has seen this play out before with Mack Trucks (albeit under different ownership) and people understandably are worried. Rest assured, we will continue our conversations with Volvo Group and the United Auto Workers to ensure the preservation of the LVO Plant for generations to come.”