General Motors kicked-off Monday with a slew of company-wide announcements that will transform the company, and affected communities, in the coming months and years. The Detroit automaker announced layoffs, plant closures in the U.S. and Canada, and model discontinuations. There was a swift response to the news. Workers in Canada walked off the line as the plant’s union, Unifor, condemned news of the Oshawa, Ontario, facility. Even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in on the news. Another organization unhappy with GM’s announcement is the United Auto Workers. GM plans to close four facilities in the U.S.
“This callous decision by GM to reduce or cease operations in American plants, while opening or increasing production in Mexico and China plants for sales to American consumers, is, in its implementation, profoundly damaging to our American workforce,” said Terry Dittes, UAW Vice President, Director GM Department, in a UAW statement criticizing the announcement.Â
The United Auto Workers took aim at GM’s production practices, noting the automaker is building vehicles outside the U.S. only to import them for American consumers. For example. GM assembles some Chevy and GMC pickups in Mexico. The new 2019 Chevy Blazer will also see production in Mexico. The Buick Envision is assembled in China.Â
“GM’s production decisions, in light of employee concessions during the economic downturn and a taxpayer bailout from bankruptcy, puts profits before the working families of this country whose personal sacrifices stood with GM during those dark days,” Dittes added. “These decisions are a slap in the face to the memory and recall of that historical American made bailout.”
While news of the closures and layoffs are shocking, the decision to close the facilities isn’t final. The United Auto Workers and GM will have to negotiate the plant closures, and the UAW isn’t backing down without a fight.Â
“The UAW and our members will confront this decision by GM through every legal, contractual, and collective bargaining avenue open to our membership,” said the union.
The plants are scheduled to be “unallocated” sometime next year.Â
Comments
Yeah Right!!!! Remember Dephi, Visteon, America Axle, to keep those plants open worker’s had to accept $14 hour wages. UAW could not bargain for that. Say good by to those jobs or accept tier wages
No, the wages were more like $10 an hour. Would you work for that?
GM has no loyalty or moral obligation to its customers or employees. Over 14,000 families will be affected right before Christmas, while Barra, who made $22,000,000 last year, will receive even bigger bonuses this year. Remember, this is the company that killed or maimed hundreds of their customers over a 25 cent spring in the ignition switch. Like in Australia, GM is working toward a future where all its vehicles will be imported, probably from China. Save for Pickups, GM is largely irrelevant in the U.S. and even more so in the rest of the world.
SCREW GM…..Money grubbing scum.
How about pictures of the parking lots where these plants are shutting down and lets see what these employees are driving?
Not really sure where your going with this but how does that matter? Everyone is entitled to drive what the want and can afford. Some may drive an Escalade because they have no mortgage and others may drive something else because they do. Soooo, what EXACTLY is your point??
Surely you know what George S is driving at, he wants to see any of the GM plant parking lots that may close. He will then point out all of the non GM vehicles, so he can claim they brought on their own demise.
So true and I concur while I bleed out, lol.
If they are driving SUV’s, trucks, or CUV’s, aren’t they part of the problem. It doesn’t matter what the brand is. No manufacture will produce a product that no one wants nor cannot make a profit.
uaw wants to step in now while they took our union dues now they want to fight for GM fight for our union dues yiu guys took from us and went on a vacation withour union dues what a joke
Go and look in the plant parking lot and stop talking about it. Ft Wayne assembly has segregated parking for offshore built vehicles and there are two parked there, the other 800 vehicles in the lot are domestic. GM treats manufacturing very poorly, either work 6 days a week and more than 8 hours a day or be laid off depending on your product allocation. All GM’s truck plants are working max OT. People and equipment are worked into the ground while car plants limp along. GM needs to better balance the plant workloads, burning out truck plants and people does not produce efficient high quality manufacturing results.