General Motors to lay off 1,000 workers at Lansing crossover plant

[BeatleBoot]

Source: The Detroit News


General Motors to lay off 1,000 workers at Lansing crossover plant

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. will end a third shift by the end of the year at its assembly plant near Lansing and lay off about 1,000 workers, the company said today.
The plant, which makes the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia crossovers, has been operating on three shifts to meet initial demand for the new products, said company spokesman Tom Wickham.
"We said at the beginning this would be a temporary measure," said Wickham, who added that GM is trying to manage its inventory to keep enough vehicles on dealer lots without having so many that discounts would be needed to sell them.

The plant, in suburban Delta Township, has enough flexibility on the remaining two shifts that it can produce enough vehicles to satisfy demand, Wickham said.


Read more: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071022/UPDATE/710220424

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I've had it. I really have had it.

[Faygo Kid]

1. I lived in the area for 20 years and went to MSU.

This is heartbreaking; wonderful people in the area, and they are getting kicked in the teeth again. I am so sorry to hear this.

[NoGodsNoMasters]

2. A perfect example...

Of how unrestrained capitalism fucks everything up. Keynes had the right idea. We need strict government regulation over private enterprise and make them accountable to the people. My sympathy goes to the employees.

[brendan120678]

3. Well, if the demand has begun to decrease...

You can't exactly force GM to continue to keep the assembly plants opened up at three shifts / full production. It would be nice, however, if they had offered to transfer some of these 1000 soon to be ex-employees to a different plant somewhere where production is still in demand.

Isn't that something that the union should have fought for?

[BeatleBoot]

6. No numbnuts

It's something the Bush Administration should have fought for. Like enforcing the side agreements to NAFTA so that American Manufacturing didn't completely disintegrate in the last 6 years.

But they don't seem to give a fuck about jobs being lost here in America, do they?

No all they fucking care about is Halliburton and Bechtel and the Carlyle Group and how many wiretaps they can get of U.S. citizens from Verizon by circumventing the U.S. Constitution - of which they took an oath to uphold.

Meanwhile, the entire innards of our country is in shambles. Bridges are fucking falling down in Minnesota killing scores of people because the Republican Governor didn't want to raise taxes to fund bridge repairs. How many of those that died enjoyed that "tax break"?

Republicans have totally neglected this country for the last 7 years. It's been total neglect.

Oh, and by the way, why is the demand decreasing? Because no one has the disposable income to pay for things anymore. Why's that? Because the average American worker has lost approximately $12,000 per year in household income since the Retard took office.

But at least Wal-Mart is doing well, we just need to keep our children away from the lead based painted toys manufactured in China that they sell.

[Psephos]

7. You forgot to mention the "progressives" who don't buy US-made cars

Cuz it's not cool, of course. If that means 1000 Lansing people lose their jobs, well, it's collateral damage in the culture wars.

At best, one in five of my blue friends drive US cars. The number is four out of five of my red friends (and I think that five is how many I have).

I'm from Lansing, by the way. And there's a Saturn parked out front in the driveway.

[newblewtoo]

8. Culture wars

You make an excellent point. I still remember a local union steward telling me about a wonderful Toyota plant he had visited in Kentucky. He didn't even realize it was non union plant. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

[sarcasmo]

4. Another screw job for the Michigan economy.

[ohio2007]

5. At least things in Minnesota are looking up as the dollar falls

due to the global economy that pushes auto workers off the assy. lines;

China brings back Minnesota's miners

China's voracious appetite for steel has put unemployed Americans back to work in the state of Minnesota and revived a depressed economy.


snip

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7047769.stm