GM Lordstown’s closure causes 120 more layoffs

Staff report

LORDSTOWN

The 120 employees of Magna’s Lordstown Seating Systems will most likely lose their jobs early in 2019, more fallout from General Motors’ decision to end production of the Chevy Cruze at its Lordstown Assembly Complex.

According to Magna’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, dated Dec. 14 but posted this week by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Magna expects to lay off virtually all of the 120 workers at its Lordstown Seating Systems facility at 1702 Henn Parkway SW. The company makes seats for GM vehicles produced at the nearby GM plant.

In its notice, Magna says it will cease production no later than March 1, with layoffs beginning Feb. 28, but possibly as early as Feb. 25 and no later than March 8.

The notification is required by the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN).

However, Magna’s Lords-town Seating Systems holds out some hope for the 120 UAW Local 1112 members’ jobs, should GM replace the Cruze with another vehicle in Lordstown.

“Should General Motors allocate a future product to the Lordstown Assembly, we would hope to be selected as a seat supplier, which may allow us to recall a significant number of employees. If a future product is not allocated by General Motors and/or we are not selected as the seat supplier for the future product, these layoffs should be considered permanent,” the Magda statement reads.

The WARN notice posted by GM earlier this month announced the layoff of the remaining 1,607 workers on the first shift at the Lordstown complex, which at one time operated three shifts until the company began cutbacks blamed on declining sales of the Cruze.