Events Calendar
In This Section
Stocks zigzag after rally as the dollar rises
Job openings remain close to record-lows
Fed officials warn weak recovery won't spur jobs
Work force evolves, falters since 1982
Web sites offer help in finding scholarships
Refinance before low rates rise again
Microsoft to upgrade portal to boost Bing
Most Read Stories
Suitcase causes bomb scare at Akron bus terminal
Akron City Council OKs higher speed on I-77
Chapel Hill isn't rolling right along
Motorcyclist killed, wife injured in Stark County crash
New eateries expand menu of options
Man says he was punched, robbed by 3 people in parking lot
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Louisville athlete commits to play for Boston College
Family found dead in Ohio home
Blogs:
Pets:
It Takes All Kinds
The Heldenfiles:
Tuesday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
An interesting thought from a reader
Akron Zips:
Akron vs. Mount Union — Liveblog
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Mangini doesn't name a quarterback
Kent State Sports:
Flashes interested in another Cincinnati player
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Shaq: It’s All About Winning Championships
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook
Varsity Letters:
Report: Walsh baseball player commits
All Da King's Men:
More On The Fort Hood Jihadist
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Simply Incapable of Telling The Truth
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (63) Commonwealth Fund Report on Primary Care
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets
Lordstown among those facing production cuts
By Don Shilling
The Vindicator
Published on Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
General Motors is cutting production at Lordstown and four other factories as the domestic automakers consider much larger changes in their fight for survival.
The changes include the end of the ''jobs bank,'' which pays workers who are laid off, and cuts in executive compensation and benefits, analysts said.
The automaker said Friday it is canceling a week of production in January at four plants including Lordstown, which makes the Chevrolet Cobalt and the Pontiac G5, and moving up the closing of a truck plant in Oshawa, Ontario. On the other hand, GM added a week of production at a van plant and reinstated some overtime that previously had been taken away at four other plants.
GM canceled production the week of Jan. 5. Production already had been eliminated for the week of Jan. 12, so workers won't return from their Christmas break until Jan. 20. The last workday of 2008 is Dec. 23.
Workers will get holiday pay for the first two weeks, then go on layoff.
GM also said Friday that overtime production on Saturdays has been eliminated at the Lordstown complex for the rest of the year.
GM previously said it was slowing down the assembly line in January so fewer Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac G5s are produced. About 1,060 hourly workers are being laid off and 40 salaried jobs are being eliminated.
Both the United Auto Workers and automakers will have to persuade congressional leaders that they are sacrificing in order to receive taxpayers' money, said John Wolkonowicz, an analyst with Global Insight in Lexington, Mass.
Top on the list is the elimination of the jobs bank, Wolkonowicz said.
''Either that is gone or the auto industry is gone,'' he said.
When UAW autoworkers are laid off, they receive a combination of unemployment benefits and supplemental pay from their employer for 48 weeks. If they remain laid off beyond that, they move to the jobs bank, where the company provides about 95 percent of their pay and benefits.
General Motors is cutting production at Lordstown and four other factories as the domestic automakers consider much larger changes in their fight for survival.
Get the full article here.
