Some GM Lordstown Employees Could Remain On Job Until June

While production at the GM Lordstown factory ended earlier this month, some stamping were scheduled to continue a few more weeks. It now appears some GM Lordstown employees may continue work at the factory until June, according to the Tribune Chronicle.

The publication, corresponding with GM spokesman Daniel Flores, learned metal stamping work would be completed by the end of the second quarter—which is June. Flores would not specify an end date other than the end of the second quarter. He added the automaker’s service needs dictate the plant’s production schedule. According to the Tribune Chronicle, about 240 employees are still working inside the factory. Chevrolet Cruze production ended earlier this month.

The news to those still working in the plant is likely welcomed; however, the future of the GM Lordstown plant remains uncertain. If GM sticks with its current timeline, all operations will end by mid-year. The automaker said it would keep the factory in a “state of readiness,” though no one knows for whom. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said earlier this month that while the company has not indicated to him or his office what the plans are for the factory, he believes that GM is in talks with a company or companies about occupying the factory.

The future of the plant will be hammered out later this year when the United Automobile Workers Union and General Motors meet for contract negotiations. If all GM operations at the factory stop at the end of June, the plant could sit empty for several months. Contract negotiations don’t begin until September.

The timetable for the negotiators has drawn the ire of U.S. President Trump whose Twitter tirade raked General Motors, its CEO Mary Barra, and the local UAW president over the collective criticism coals for such a delay, demanding negations begin immediately or that GM find a new company to occupy the factory immediately.

Regardless of what the final determination is for the factory, the uncertainty is likely stressful for those who still work at the GM Lordstown facility.