LORDSTOWN CLOSING | Senators blast GM's response to queries

LORDSTOWN — Ohio’s senators say that General Motors’ response to questions they sent about the idling of the GM Lordstown plant was not what they were looking for from the Detroit automaker.

“While we asked GM to provide clarity to the Lordstown community, the company chose to sidestep our questions instead,” the senators said in a joint statement this morning. “As we head into the holiday season, workers at Lordstown are faced with fear and uncertainty about their futures. They deserve better. We will continue pushing GM to do the right thing, provide answers to its workers, and bring another vehicle to Lordstown to ensure workers keep their jobs."

GM announced Nov. 26 it would idle five of its North American plants next year, including the Lordstown plant. The plant will stop producing the Chevrolet Cruze in March and has no guarantee of a future product.

Brown and Portman had sent GM CEO Mary Barra a list of detailed questions about the plant and asked for a response by Dec. 21, following a meeting they had with Barra.