GM to End Work at Four Truck Plants

DETROIT – General Motors Corp (GM) is expected to announce that it will stop production at four truck plants in North America, according to a Canadian union official briefed on the plan. GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner is set to meet with reporters for an update on the automaker’s restructuring plans before the company’s annual meeting on Tuesday in
Wilmington, Delaware, according to www.reuters.com.

The plants slated for closure are in Janesville, Wis.; Moraine, Ohio; Silao, Mexico; and Oshawa, Ontario. A United Auto Workers union spokesman had no immediate comment. A GM spokeswoman had no comment.

It was not immediately clear when production would be phased out at the plants, with the exception of Oshawa, which is now slated to stop producing in the third quarter 2009. Last month, the CAW reached an agreement with GM as part of a new contract to postpone layoffs at the
Oshawa plant until September 2009.

The expected plant closures come as GM tries to finalize a restructuring plan that has been overrun by a steep decline in U.S. sales of pickup trucks and SUVs in the face of record gas prices and tighter credit, according to www.reuters.com.

It was unclear whether the planned shutdowns would be permanent or whether GM would use some portion of the plants for production of more fuel-efficient cars or crossover vehicles in response to the shifting U.S. market.

The Oshawa plant makes large pickup trucks, including the Chevrolet Silverado. The Wisconsin plant assembles Suburban and Tahoe SUVs, while the Ohio plant assembles mid-sized SUVs Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy.