Laid Off Orion Twp. Plant Workers Must Decide On Relocating Today

It’s safe to say that not everybody is happy about the two-tier wage system that will take effect at the General Motors assembly plant Orion twp., MI starting August 1 of next year.  To increase the drama, hundreds of laid off UAW workers face the following scenario: accept a job at another plant 250 miles away and work a with a familiar wage, or stay local and hope seniority gets them rehired. Oh, and they have to make up their minds by today.

Currently, there are 375 open positions at the Lordstown, OH. plant for assembly and stamping. General Motors is offering first dibs to the laid off workers of Orion twp. and even $4,800 for “basic relocation” expenses, and even rights to return to Orion for future job openings. However, relocating 250 miles away isn’t for everybody.

Should UAW plant workers opt to stay home, they might have the chance of working under the $28 first-tier hourly wage – if their seniority level is good enough. Otherwise they would be rehired under the second-tier hourly wage of $15. Only 60 percent of the planned 1,300 hires will make the first-tier wage, and with GM’s goal to eventually have all workers under the second-tier wage system, that percentage will only drop as time goes on.

Source: The Detroit Free Press