Senators Want Answers from Barra by Dec. 21
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a letter to Mary Barra, U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman are pressing the General Motors chairwoman and CEO for answers about the future of the GM Lordstown assembly plant and the potential impacts to jobs and the supply chain.
Brown, a Democrat, and Portman, a Republican, met with Barra last week, during which they urged her to invest in the Lordstown plant rather than shutter it. The meeting followed the announcement by GM to cease production of the Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze and close the plant there by March 1, along with the Detroit-Hamtramck plant and a factory in Oshawa, Ontario. The closure would result in the laying off of 1,500 hourly workers and another 100 salaried employees.
In the letter, the senators argue that Lordstown workers, their families and the impacted communities need to have the information necessary to prepare for any consequences from the announcement.
“As GM continues to evaluate the company’s next steps with respect to the Lordstown plant, it is critical that the workers and communities affected by any company decisions understand the short- and long-term implications of the announcement and its full impacts,” they wrote. “Only with complete information can the Mahoning Valley – as well as the numerous Ohio businesses and communities who stand to lose jobs and investment as part the Lordstown closure – effectively respond to, and recover from, changes to production at Lordstown.”
The senators list specific questions regarding the Lordstown plant and the impact of its closure. These include what factors GM will take into consideration in determining whether to allocate a new vehicle to Lordstown, how much will it cost to shut down the plant, how many plant and supply chain workers will lose their jobs if GM follows through with an announced 8,000 layoffs next year, what the cost would be to retool the plant to produce an electric vehicle, and if GM will commit to producing in the U.S. all the electric vehicles that will be for sale in the U.S.
The asked Barra to respond to the questions “no later than” Dec. 21.
Read Brown and Portman’s letter in its entirety here.
COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE:
GM to Close Lordstown Plant In March
Inside Union Hall, GM Announcement ‘A shot in the Gut’
Amid GM Fallout, Leaders Focus on Next Steps
Workers Face Uncertainty After GM Decision
Chevy Dealers Not Surprised by Cruze Cancellation
Brown Calls GM Decision ‘Corporate Greed’
Ryan on Plant Closing: ‘New Black Monday’
Read Full Text of GM Closings Announcement
Ryan Wants Congressional Hearing on GM Tax Windfall
Contract Talks Will Decide Plants Fate, UAW Says
Portman Warns Trump Against Retaliation; Strategy Planning Begins
Youngstown Leaders Consider a Future with or without GM
Brown to Speak with Trump Regarding GM
Prayer Vigil Today, Planning Tomorrow to Support Plant
Ryan Presses Case for Lordstown to GM’s Barra
Prayer Vigil Holds Out Hope for GM Lordstown
Economic Development Leaders Address GM Situation
Agencies Help Displaced GM Workers Find Jobs
Lawmakers Press Barra on Future of GM Lordstown
Senators Want Answers from Barra by Dec. 21
WATCH VIDEO:
Leaders React to Lordstown Closing
‘3 Minutes With’ Greg Greenwood, Chevrolet dealer
‘3 Minutes With’ Dave Green, UAW Local 1112 president
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