GM offers 2,700 jobs for laid-off

DETROIT • General Motors Co.’s plans to lay off 14,000 salaried and blue-collar workers might not be as bad as originally projected.

The firm said Friday that 2,700 of the 3,300 U.S. factory jobs slated for elimination will be saved. Bluecollar workers will still lose jobs at four U.S. plants slated for closure, but most will be able to find employment at eight other GM plants where jobs are being added. Some would have to relocate.

GM still plans to lay off about 8,000 white-collar workers and another 2,600 factory workers in Canada, but is working with other employers to identify jobs and targeted training programs for affected employees.

GM is cutting six car models as buyers shift their preferences to SUVs and trucks, which will account for about 70 per cent of new-vehicle sales this year. GM has too many factories making cars.

Dave Green, president of the auto workers local at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant says he’s still hoping the factory can stay open by getting a new vehicle to build.

The job transfers will help laid-off workers but will do nothing for the area of northeast Ohio which has been devastated by job losses over the years, Green said.

“Some people do have the opportunity to move, but it’s extremely disruptive, and it does nothing to help or support the communities that are left behind,” he said.