JEDBURG, S.C. - DaimlerChrysler is looking at sites in Savannah; Jacksonville, Florida; and in Berkeley County, South Carolina for a plant that would employ about 3,000 initially at an average wage of $19 an hour.<br>
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But Robert Morris, spokesman for the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, said Georgia does not have the incentives available to compete with Alabama and South Carolina for big auto plants. <br>
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South Carolina failed to entice Mercedes-Benz a decade ago, so state officials there are ready to compete with bigger bucks. A bill Governor Jim Hodges signed last month would allow the state to offer about $100 million in incentives. <br>
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DaimlerChrysler is considering Jedburg, 30 miles north of downtown Charleston on Interstate 26, as the site for the cargo van plant. <br>
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DaimlerChrysler will pay about six to eight dollars more than the prevailing wage for production workers in Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville. <br>
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Robert Morris is spokesman for the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism. He says Georgia does not have the incentives available to compete with Alabama and South Carolina for big auto plants. <br>
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Even if Georgia doesn't win the next auto plant, Morris says it will be a victory for the Southeast.
