general motors \ Timeline

Here are some of the things that have happened at the Lordstown complex since summer 2007.

July 2007: General Motors announces that four of its cars, including the Lordstown-assembled Chevrolet Cobalt, made Cars.com’s Top Ten most American cars.

September 2007: Nationwide autoworkers’ strike affects some 3,600 workers at the Lordstown assembly and fabricating plants. The strike lasts just a few days, and reports say GM is committed to keeping the Lordstown complex open.

October 2007: Industry reports says a new Cadillac model is one of the new car products coming to Lordstown.

January 2008: GM and United Auto Workers begin crafting a buyout and retirement program.

May 2008: GM’s fabricating plant workers at Lordstown are pleased with the local contract with GM and eventually approve it.

June 3, 2008: GM and United Auto Workers Local 112 vote on a labor contract that will expire in 2011. The deal cut GM’s operating expenses significantly by paying lower wages for some new hires. To cut costs further, the company offers other workers buyouts.

Aug. 4, 2008: GM reinstates the third shift, which had been eliminated in 2006, to prepare for a boost in production of the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5. The revival of the shift adds 1,400 workers to the plant — a combination of new hires, transfers and temporary workers.

Thursday: GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner, along with leadership from the local union and government officials, will visit the plant to speak about the multimillion-dollar investment GM has planned for the complex. The Cruze, which will replace the Cobalt, will make its debut. The company will release the first official photos of the new compact.

Source: Vindicator files