\No, it’s not just national news.
As General Motors desperately seeks federal funds to keep operating until the end of the year, they announced 650 lay offs at their Orion Assembly plant.
The employees will be placed on indefinite layoff effective Feb.1, according to Becki Akers-Hopson, the plant’s communications manager.
‘GM has made the difficult decision to scale back production to meet shrinking market demand, which even includes reducing production of some of GM’s most popular vehicles,? she said.
The vehicles Akers-Hopson refers to are the Chevy Malibu and the Pontiac G6, both manufactured in Orion.
The reason for the layoffs?
A national economy that seems to be getting worse each day, creating a climate of crisis for all Big Three automakers in Detroit.
‘Due to the ongoing challenges with the U.S. economy, including a tight credit market, consumers are hesitant to make major purchases, such as buying a new vehicle,? Akers-Hopson said.
This past October, she added, overall auto sales were down a staggering 34 percent.
GM has felt it even worse, with sales down 45 percent, she said.
But despite the falling sales and a prospective loan from the federal government that is receiving national scrutiny and debate, Akers said GM remains optimistic about the Orion plant.
‘There’s still a demand for both the Malibu and G6. Orion is keeping a three-shift operation and our employees are focused on building the high-quality cars customers associate with Orion,? she said.
Akers-Hopson also looked ahead to the future.
‘We want to ensure that when customers begin returning to showrooms, they will have a wide selection of top quality Chevrolet Malibus and Pontiac G6s waiting for them,? she said.