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Somber Mood At St. Paul's Ford Plant

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The Ford Motor Company is leaving St. Paul after 86 years in business. The plant will lock its doors on Dec. 19 and will affect 769 workers.

"It's kind of been inevitable," said Jeff Haussler, an employee of 12 years. "A lot of people are transferring but there's going to be just as many out of work."

On Monday, union officials received word that the plant will close.

The reason for the closure is because Ford plans to discontinue making the Ranger truck in the U.S.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Edgar Linares Reports

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Many expected the announcement, but there were still some who held out hope that plant would be saved.

"I've worked here for four-and-a-half years and it seems like they've dragged on the closing," said Thomas Freedi, a Ford employee. "I kind of started to lose hope over the past few months."

According to the Associated Press, Ford had long planned to close the St. Paul plant.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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