General Motors Officially Announces Layoff Plans, Offers Job Transfers to Some Affected Employees [News]

General Motors sent out its plans to start laying off employees as it closes five North American production plants.

By the end of next year, GM will close five plants in North America, cutting thousands of jobs as the company restructures its production efforts. That wasn’t welcome news to workers, their unions, and even the government. Today, the company announced that, “Our focus remains on providing interested employees options to transition including job opportunities at other GM plants.” CEO Mary Barra spent time before Congress defending General Motors’ position to close the plants earlier this month. Back in November, the company announced it would shutter five assembly plants and kill off some of its slow-selling cars, including models from Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet.

According to their press release, GM’s plan affects 2,800 employees at plants in Maryland, Michigan, Ohio and Oshawa, Canada. The company says it has 2,700 job openings are available at plants in Texas, Kentucky Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan. 1,100 employees have already volunteered to transfer, while another 1,200 are eligible to retire.

Transfer opportunities

On top of all the affected hourly employees, the company also claims its salaried employees will also have opportunities to transfer from the five allocated plants elsewhere, as long as openings are available. According to Automotive News, the company began notifying government agencies of its plan, and will continue to do so into 2019.

“Strong U.S. and Canadian economies enable us to provide these opportunities now as we position General Motors for long-term success,” Barra said in a statement. GM also claimed it would help the employees who ultimately lose their jobs with “outplacement services including job search assistance, career counseling, resume writing and interview skills.”

As the company starts laying off its white-collar workforce, we’ll see how many employees this decision ultimate effects heading into 2019.