GM to idle Detroit plant due to American Axle strike (Could Cut 40,000 Jobs From U.S Payrolls)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Reuters

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) plans to shut down a Detroit assembly plant on Monday because of parts shortages caused by a strike against a key supplier that have now idled almost half of GM's factory work force in North America.

The planned shutdown of the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant takes the number of GM plants partly or fully idled by the month-long strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc (AXL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) to 30, GM spokesman Tom Wickham said on Friday.

The plant, which makes the Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne sedans, will be the first car plant to be idled by the walkout at American Axle. Other idled assembly plants make trucks and SUVs such as the Chevrolet Silverado and the Hummer H3.

Wickham said GM would completely shut down the Detroit-Hamtramck plant although some workers would stay on for maintenance and repair. There is no immediate plan to shut down additional plants, Whickham said.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN2830433720080328

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And this: http://www.laborradio.org/node/8214

By Doug Cunningham

If the UAW strike at American Axle doesn’t end soon, GM will be forced in April to shut down the first auto plant shuttered by the strike. GM has already stopped or slowed down production at 29 plants involved with making trucks, vans and SUV’s. UAW workers at American Axle are the victims of an assault by the company on their wages and benefits. Because the profitable American Axle wants to cut wages in half and slash benefits, as many as 40,000 jobs could be cut from U.S. payrolls in March according to economist Brian Bethune. Bethune says that would cut three tenths of a percent from U.S. economic growth this quarter.