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Lordstown plant switching to four 10-hour workdays
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In this Vindicator archive photo, Cobalts are seen on the assembly line at GM Lordstown.
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David Green, president of UAW 1714 listens to comments by US Senator Sherrod Brown during a Monday meeting at UAW 1112 Hall in Lordstown.
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Jim Graham, President of UAW Local 1112
By Don Shilling
The change will save the car complex money on utilities.
LORDSTOWN — The Lordstown car assembly plant will switch to four 10-hour workdays next month.
The switch from a five-day workweek will save the plant money because less money will be spent on utilities if production is down for three days a week instead of two, said Tom Mock, a General Motors spokesman.
The change will last until further notice, he said.
The car complex has been closed since last month as GM tries to reduce the inventory of Chevrolet Cobalts that are on dealer lots.
Workers are to return Aug. 3. The assembly plant workers will work one week of five days before going to the four-day week Aug. 10.
At least half of the workers in the adjacent fabricating plant will have the same arrangement, though details haven’t been worked out, said Dave Green, president of United Auto Workers Local 1714. He said it appears that metal-shop workers will go to four-day weeks, while those in the press room probably will stay on five days.
Both Green and Jim Graham, president of UAW Local 1112 at the assembly plant, said some workers will welcome the change because they will receive an additional day off each week.
The four-day shift will run Monday through Thursday. Starting times have not been set.
Green said some maintenance crews will work Thursday to Sunday so that they can do repair work when the complex is down.
GM prepared for the change in the modified labor contract recently approved by the UAW. Among the changes was a revision in overtime pay. Now, extra pay is made only when a worker exceeds 40 hours in a week, instead of eight hours in a day.
Years ago, the complex used a four-day schedule but abandoned it to save money because workers were receiving two hours of overtime pay for each 10-hour day.
The assembly plant has 1,200 workers returning to work in August, and the fabricating plant has 600.
GM has said it expects to add another shift of workers as it launches the Chevrolet Cruze from the plant in April. The complex laid off two shifts of workers at the end of last year because of the slump in car sales.