General Motors Has Plans To Cut Production And Close Plants

General Motors is faced with the decision to close factories in Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, and Canada, and slash 15 percent of its salaried workforce in a sweeping cost-cutting plan designed to boost its profits. AutoBlog reports the Detroit-based automaker said it would end production by the end of 2019 at its Lordstown Assembly plant in northeast Ohio; its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in southeast Michigan; its Oshawa Assembly plant in Ontario; its Baltimore Operations parts plant; and its Warren Transmission Operations plant in southeast Michigan. CEO Mary Barra is seeking to reposition GM for a future defined by self-driving cars, ride-sharing networks and electric vehicles. The plan may signal the demise in the U.S. of several passenger cars that have been struggling, including the Chevrolet Cruze, the Chevrolet Impala and the Cadillac XTS. The workforce reduction will affect 15 percent of the company’s salaried and salaried contract workforce. It’s not clear how many of those cuts will be voluntary and how many will take the form of layoffs. GM offered buyouts to 18,000 workers several weeks ago.