Lordstown is 20 mins away from me. In the past year or so, they have cut 2 shifts out there. That's right, production is done on 1 shift only.
There's an indoor shooting range just a bit past the Lordstown complex that I go to occasionally. When I drive past, I'll usually drive through it on the way back.
Chevy Cruzes parked everywhere.
So these are sitting out there not being sold. You can only keep making a product for so long when no one wants to buy it. Pretty simple economics here. Supply and demand.
The Mahoning Valley is already a leader in unemployment and when Lordstown goes, it's going to get even worse.
Steel is dead. Delphi (old Packard Electric) is dead. Not much left around here.

The cars are not selling....so GM wants to shut the plants producing them. Makes sense to me.

This is how companies survive, GM has no obligation to give workers jobs.


In the next 10-20 years we will have to evolve as a country (world) if we do not want the unemployment rate to exceed 30%+. With AI and robots human workers will not be needed.

I am not sure what the solution is I do know that we cannot stay in the 20th century.

The next thing you know, they'll shut down the Pontiac plants.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
The next thing you know, they'll shut down the Pontiac plants.

Then the Oldsmobile will also have to go.

Where/when does it end?

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Chevy makes some awful small cars.

True. I had a rented Chevy Shitbox (Cruze), that was wildly uncomfortable. And cheaply finished - very plastic-ey.

And taxpayers gave GM how much money to bail them out???

One article mentioned that the UAW contract negotiations were beginning early next year. Helluva shot across the bow.....

quote:

Originally posted by dewhorse:
The cars are not selling....so GM wants to shut the plants producing them. Makes sense to me.

This is how companies survive, GM has no obligation to give workers jobs.


In the next 10-20 years we will have to evolve as a country (world) if we do not want the unemployment rate to exceed 30%+. With AI and robots human workers will not be needed.

I am not sure what the solution is I do know that we cannot stay in the 20th century.

This is correct, and true. It takes far fewer people to make cars now.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
The next thing you know, they'll shut down the Pontiac plants.

Then the Oldsmobile will also have to go.

Where/when does it end?

At one time the Lordstown complex was known as Lordstown BOC. BOC standing for Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac.
Those days are gone. Oldsmobile is no more and they lost the Buick and Cadillac lines.
They made the Cavalier, Cobalt and lastly the Cruze.
When gas prices were high, they sold. Gas is lower (for now) and they're sitting.
Factor in that a lot of people now buy Toyota, Nissan, Honda and others and it was a matter of time.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
And taxpayers gave GM how much money to bail them out???

They really did it to bail out their union buddies that have mis-spent, mis-managed and looted the funds.
They disguised it as bailing out the automakers.

Turns out it's impossible to make a profit selling cars nobody wants without taxpayer bailouts.

quote:

Originally posted by dewhorse:
This is how companies survive, GM has no obligation to give workers jobs.

That depends on who you ask.

Dyed in the wool UAW members think about it a little differently than you and I.

quote:

Originally posted by Warhorse:

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
The next thing you know, they'll shut down the Pontiac plants.

Then the Oldsmobile will also have to go.

Where/when does it end?

I hear they are shuttering the Marquette Oakland & LaSalle plants as well.

quote:

Dyed in the wool UAW members think about it a little differently than you and I.

if the union really cared about it, they'd drain their warchest of funds to keep the lights on

until then, the unions can suck it

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:

quote:

Dyed in the wool UAW members think about it a little differently than you and I.

if the union really cared about it, they'd drain their warchest of funds to keep the lights on

until then, the unions can suck it

Roger that!

I hate unions with a passion. No way, no how should the worker be able to tell the employer how to run his business.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by dewhorse:
This is how companies survive, GM has no obligation to give workers jobs.

That depends on who you ask.

Dyed in the wool UAW members think about it a little differently than you and I.

Yep, and wait until Bernie and Kamala get a hold of this and start their socialism...everybody is entitled to a job and a paycheck...banter. Early crystal ball prediction...GM negotiates to keep production running on some of these non-performing vehicles to pacify the UAW which will contribute to the company continuing to sink. Can anyone say future bailout #2?

Trump is going ballistic on GM's CEO.... Says they need to close overseas plants and move the work here...

Dems and SheedyEnEn are going apeshit on Trump and the economy.

An integral part of capitalism and free markets is the right to fail. Most of the men we think of as the early 20th century Titans of Industry either teetered on the brink of bankruptcy or lost their fortunes at some point in their careers. They learned from their mistakes, fixed their business model and ultimately succeeded.

If GM closes, thousands of people will be effected BUT, new cars and trucks will still be built and sold. They will simply be built by the survivors who will create new jobs to keep up with their increased demand. The real issue is that the new jobs might not be UAW members. That's how the system works.

And before anyone attacks me as a cold hearted Capitalist I was a Teamster for 10 years. When trucking de-regulated I got laid off so I went to the Union Hall that had assured me for years that they would always have work for members. The only man in the whole company who got another job was the guy who brown-nosed the Business Agent. Looking back on it, it worked out far better for me than if I had stayed a Teamster.

Some of the crap posted on the FB in my feed.

"Yep, I retired from GM. The steel tariffs are the direct result of this decision. Not only will all the 14,000+ jobs at GM be lost, but just a many or MORE in supplier personnel, and layouts at the stores, gas stations and restruants near the plants, it is a domino effect. Hear me loud and clear. TRUMP'S POLICIES ARE THE DIRECT RESULT OF THIS..he is NOT making America Great Again. He instituted tariffs that devastated production at Harley Davidson and now GM, and Ford. He is not bringing jobs back to the US. His tax cuts did not spur more jobs, it only gave more to the already obscene rich and allowed the mass buy back of corporate stocks, so the top shareholders could benefit. This is not sad, this is calculated, and a direct result of this administration's catering to the rich only."

Sales were down in these segments long before the tariffs were implimented.

Sellers sell what the buyers are willing to pay for. Very simple economics.

If gas prices take a sudden hike, more economic cars will enter the market too. It's like magic.