AUBURN -- Almost a year ago, members of the United Steelworkers Local 3482 sat in the meeting room of the Polish Falcons Club in Auburn and ratified their new contract.

On Tuesday, they were back in that same room, this time to look over Bombardier's severance package -- including health insurance, retirement benefits and severance pay -- following January's announcement that the Auburn plant would be closing.

The plant will close by the end of May, Bombardier spokesperson Helene Gagnon said Tuesday. Bombardier, which builds components for rail and aerospace products, has said that cutbacks in each of those industries have left the plant with a severe work shortage.

At Tuesday's meeting, Robert Misuraca, staff representative for United Steelworkers, took union members through the company's final offer step by step.

About 100 of the plant's 160 workers attended the meeting, where they were given handouts breaking down the terms of the union's current contract and any further benefits the company offered during negotiations.

Misuraca cited extended time periods of insurance coverage and additional weeks of severance pay as two important factors in the offer.

He also expressed satisfaction that all severance and vacation will be paid out to employees within two weeks following termination and that the company has pledged not to change retirees' benefits or rights.

"This is the big one that we were concerned about," Misuraca said.

For more on this story -- including a breakdown of the severance package -- read Linda Ober's story in Wednesday's edition of The Citizen.