Friday, July 21, 2017
LORDSTOWN
The president of the United Auto Workers union, Dennis Williams, said in a Thursday news release that there have been discussions with General Motors concerning the future production of plants that primarily produce “slower-selling” vehicle models.
According to a Reuters report, which cites anonymous sources “familiar with the plans,” GM is considering “killing” six slower-selling models, including the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6 and XTS, and Chevrolet Impala, Volt and Sonic.
The GM Lordstown Assembly Complex, as well as the Hamtramck Assembly Complex in Michigan, were mentioned by name in the report and were characterized as “under-used” facilities.
Though the Lordstown plant does not produce any of the six brands mentioned in the report – it produces only the Chevrolet Cruze – workers at the plant have felt the impact of a recent shift in consumer preference toward larger vehicles such as SUVs and crossovers.
The Lordstown plant’s third shift was cut last year, and Monday will be the first day back for Lordstown workers after a five-week shutdown caused in part by a decline in Cruze sales.
Cruze sales have dropped 30 percent since last year, though individual retail sales are up 3.3 percent, according to a recent report from GM.
Read more about the situation in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.