GM should reward Lordstown with new version of the Cruze

There’s no shortage of politicans waiting to take a bow if General Motors Corp. selects its Lordstown assembly plant to produce the diesel version of the highly successful Chevrolet Cruze, as the front page news analysis in Monday’s Vindicator revealed.

However, credit will come at a high price. The employees at the plant, who are responsible for the Cruze being the hottest selling compact car in America, have raised the bar. Their hard work and dedication have put the facility in the national spotlight.

Add to that last week’s ratification of the national contract by members of the United Auto Workers’ two locals and it’s clear the politicians will have to do much more than pay lip service to the expansion plans.

The two locals are 1112, which represents 3,200 production workers, and 1714, with 1,450 skilled trades workers. More than 90 percent of the employees participated in the vote on the contract, an impressive number in and of itself. But what is even more significant is that the 70-plus percentage affirmative vote cast by Local 1112 members is larger than the national average of 65 percent of production workers.

“This sends a huge message to Detroit and the corporation and the international union,” said Jim Graham, president of Local 1112. “It gives us a better foothold on trying to procure new projects.”

Shop Chairman Ben Strickland offered an important argument for why the Lordstown plant should be given the diesel Cruze when he noted that Local 1112 had the highest percentage of “yes” votes of any local union that had not specifically been promised new investments as part of the contract.

Lordstown is hoping to attract new investment — there are reports that GM may be willing to spend $150 million to prepare a plant for the diesel Cruze — and the vote for the contract is, without a doubt, a sign of good faith.

Political heavy lifting

With labor and management at the plant doing everything they can to ensure that the Cruze remains a top seller, politicians must also be prepared to do some heavy lifting.

The Mahoning Valley has repeatedly shown its commitment to General Motors, but the role of government cannot be downplayed. The decision-makers in Detroit must know that the federal and state governments will come through with whatever assistance is necessary.

Democratic President Barack Obama can justifiably revel in the Lordstown plant’s success seeing as how his administration developed an auto bailout plan that saved GM and Chrysler. That said, Republican Gov. John Kasich is also staking a claim on the plant’s future by meeting with GM executives and urging their continued investment in Ohio.

Likewise, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, and Rob Portman, a Republican, along with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, can be expected to do what’s necessary to persuade GM to choose Lordstown for the diesel Cruze.

Local officeholders and community leaders, along with the regional chamber, have experience in rallying the Valley in a show of support.But President Obama and Gov. Kasich will have to work together in meeting GM’s needs. If they do, there will be enough credit to go around.