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General Motors Announces Plant Closures, None In Indiana

By Samantha Horton, IPB News | Published on in Business, Economy, Transportation
The company said it plans to halt production of the Chevrolet Cruze, Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Volt (pictured), Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Impala by the end of 2019. (Courtesy of Chevrolet)
The company said it plans to halt production of the Chevrolet Cruze, Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Volt (pictured), Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Impala by the end of 2019. (Courtesy of Chevrolet)

General Motors officials announced Monday that the company plans to cut more than 14,000 jobs in North America.

In a statement, the company lists the five plants it plans to close by the end of 2019, including two in Michigan and one each in Ohio, Maryland and Canada.

Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks are built in Fort Wayne, and there are several other plants in the state that make parts for GM vehicles. But none are slated to shut down as of now.

In the company’s statement, GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra said the decision comes because the company is steering its focus to autonomous and electric vehicles and wants to “stay in front of changing market conditions.”

However the industry’s leading union, the United Auto Workers, says it will challenge GM’s decision.

In a statement, UAW Vice President Terry Dittes calls it “callous” and said it would be “profoundly damaging to our American workforce.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said Indiana did not manufacture any General Motors vehicles bumper-to-bumper, just parts. That is incorrect. Fort Wayne’s GM plant builds the GMC Sierra and the Chevrolet Silverado.