General Motors is falling on hard times and that’s going to show up in lost jobs for the average American. About 14,000 workers are scheduled to be laid off as GM leaves some of their plants idle amongst a slump in sales of new cars.
General Motors announced Monday that it planned to also idle five factories in North America in addition to cutting roughly 14,000 jobs in a bid to trim costs. It was a jarring reflection of the auto industry’s adjustment to changing consumer tastes and sluggish sales.
This appears to be a direct response to a slowdown in new-car sales that has prompted automakers to slim their operations and shed jobs. Earlier bets on smaller cars have had to be revised downward after noticing consumers have gravitated toward pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles in response to low gasoline prices.
Automakers have also been some of the first businesses to pay the price for the trade war that Trump set in motion. In June, GM slashed its profit outlook for the year because tariffs were driving up production costs, raising prices even on domestic steel. Rising interest rates are also generating headwinds and making new cars simply unaffordable.
https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/trade-war-tariffs-could-raise-the-cost-of-a-car-7000_09272018
According to the New York Times, the layoffs will affect mainly four areas. In addition to an assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio, the cuts affect factories in Michigan, Maryland, and the Canadian province of Ontario. This recent move, which follows job reductions by Ford Motor Company, further pares the workforce in a sector that President Trump had promised to bolster. Referring to G.M.’s chief executive, Mary T. Barra, he told reporters, “I spoke to her and I stressed the fact that I am not happy with what she did.”
Trump also invoked the rescue of G.M. after its bankruptcy filing almost a decade ago. “You know, the United States saved General Motors,” he told reporters, “and for her to take that company out of Ohio is not good. I think she’s going to put something back in soon.”
But Barra said she wanted to lay off people while it was still possible for them to find other jobs. “We are taking these actions now while the company and the economy are strong to stay in front of a fast-changing market,” she said on a conference call with analysts.
The idling of the five plants next year will result in the layoff of 3,300 production workers in the United States and about 2,500 in Canada. The company also aims to trim its salaried staff by 8,000. The cuts represent more than 10 percent of G.M.’s North American workforce of 124,000.
GM -aka Government Motors- is one of the darlings of the Obama agenda.
It’s starting to catch up to them.
Maybe they should try a different direction in both their models and their marketing now that he is gone and start providing people with what they want to buy instead of what some leftist oriented political agenda dictates to them.
Because it is the leftists who run the joint. Let GM go. Let the free market run its course.
Unfortunately, with the Democrats back in power in Congress, I expect it to be bailed out of its current foolishness.
Fading away like the Edsel.
GM is UNION BUSTING!
No one will acknowledge.
Closing USA production lines.
GM Killing USA jobs.
GM Keeping Mexican/China plants open.
I am about to buy a new truck. It will Not be a Mexican Motors corporation model. Here that GM? I NEVER support anti Americans. (Note: No Movies, gun grabbing commies, DOD scripted predictive programming. No NFL, that is for knee takers. No Starbucks, they wnat to be a bum hang out and to hire 10,000 muslims. No FaceBook, No Twitter, No Google, they don’t believe in the American value of free speech. No TV, they are anti American and nothing but lies.)
Toyota Tundras are made in Texas. Mercedes are made in USA. BMW made in USA. (at least certain models are) My money is for American workers.
How about that Obama “Volt”, how did that work out?
So no more room exists to channel stuff?
Lot delivery has equalled sale, not sale equals sale for some time.
Lookout, it’s gonna blow.
As a survivor of 2 “layoffs”, let me tell you this represents a tragedy for each of the families involved. Sure, you can tighten the money-spending belt and survive. This is not the way to grow the American economy. Repercussions to the surrounding communities are severe also. My family buys American-made vehicles & other products in an effort to support our fellow Americans.
America was founded on the radical idea of homesteading. Why do you think so many Europeans came to America? It was all but impossible to own land unless one had aristocratic ancestors.
Starting with European settlers, new arrivals congregated in cities then journeyed to a site and staked a claim, cleared it for a home site and agriculture and made it prosper.That worked from inception to about 1880.
From 1880-1945, the industrial revolution required urban centers to create goods through factories. Few owned their own home unless their ancestors were once homesteaders who deeded the property to their descendants. Multigenerational homes were the norm especially in the rural regions.
The fostering of a middle class meant creating wealth coupled with home ownership. Urbanization required the stability of a specialized trained workforce and this happened with multiple ideas like public education to inculcate and indoctrinate workers who lived by schedules and inexpensive tract housing near factories. With severe unrbanization, it was impossible to own a home and folks lived in apartments as tenants.
Post1945-2000 saw the rise of suburbs as workers first bought inexpensive country homes, then largely feathering their nests by increasing bedrooms and bathrooms as a home AND and investment. Post1945-1990 saw a boom in this phenomena of rejecting the multigenerational home concept AND moving to a better home every seven years. That worked as long as the industrial base was robust as it fostered a strong middle class who were extreme consumers. However moving so frequently was problematic due to the risk of not significantly paying down the mortgage and being free and clear.
Prophetic folks like Dave Ramsey warned the middle class that they had become detached from ancestral wisdom about debt load and overindulgent on consumer items to massage their ego to have the semblance of wealth.
The elite globalists then simultaneously attacked the industrial base with free trade policies. By Obama’s term, nearly the entire African American middle class had had their wealth ERASED. Tavis Smiley who formerly sung Obama’s praises then ultimately denounced him as a destroyer.
With massive accumulated inflation (Over 930% to date since Eisenhower) and no American industrial capacity, then there is NO rational way to support a consumer economy based upon service occupations. We effectively have no middle class as the previous benchark of $45,000 is near meaningless due to horrendous inflation halving its value.
Democrats in leadership are freaking out as they claim to be the party of the People, when in fact their ruinous policies have not only contributed to the decline of their own stalwart members in Labor, but worse fear the loss of power so much that they are willing to impoverish America by a FLOOD from Latin America. Which of course will lead to even less hourly wages and socialization of the economy through government mandated benefits which even FURTHER DILUTES the dollar.
Americans in the next decade will experience monumental automation such that the bluecollar worker will become the lamplighters and cobblers and elevator operators of yesteryear ie massive unemployment as they will have no relatable occupational skills.
A very astute post.
I like Dave Ramseys message. We have been debt free for decades. New vehicle prices are too high and most folks simply can afford a new vehicle ever few years. They would be better off buying some land that could produce some food. I have no desire for any new vehicle. I drive old chevy trucks. When I get a replacement I park the old one out back. I try and get the same models so I can use parts off of the junked ones. I have over a hundred junked pickups. and two that are licenced drivers. plus my 55 chevy car I had when in High school and my wifes SUV. I surprised the Author of this article didn’t try and blame Trumps Tariffs for the sales slump?
Meanwhile, GM execs paid millions still fly around in their corporate jets to their lavish boondoggles while employees get shafted right before Christmas. That’s corporate America as we know it.
Sorry, can’t blame “management” any longer as if it is a separate entity. GM is owned by its unions and managed by the union and the Federal government. The government destroyed 200 years of Bankruptcy law in the process. How did you think it was going to turn out? GM will go the same way the Yugo and the Lada went. Good riddance.
Stuart, I remember the Yugos. Biggest POS cars I ever saw in my whole life. The Yugo and Lada were both built by socialist slave labor. I guess Yugo meant ‘you go break down every time you turn around’, LOL.
1 cost of new cars thru the roof
2 cars last a long time now
3 internet info /diys fixing own cars
4 8 year finance….
5 millions of used cars everywhere
6 retail car salesmen are _____________holes.
and more
I agree. The last 2 cars, my wife’s 2000 Astro Van was traded in 3 months ago. My 2003 Avalanche was traded in Feb of this year.
WE keep cars as long as we can. We buy what we like, usually new or 1 year old, and keep them 14-15 years.
Just like an RV, new cars are the WORST investment there is (maybe chewlery is close). I still drive a 2002 daily lol.
your better off buying pre 1996 vehicles anyways
all these newer cars and trucks are nothing but narcs
your story about how the accident occurred will be thrown out of court once the black box is subpoenaed. and who knows you could end up in contempt of our Admiralty Courts ( dont even get me started on that BS)
you thought you had zero culpability , but the computer in your car said you were exceeding the speed limit by 5 MPH when you went through the intersection that the accident occurred .. theres some culpability the insurance company will hang on you in court
No I’m not making this shit up .. I lived it ..and so did my company on a separate issue , and my insurance co had to pay a certain amount they all contrived
I could lay the story all out for you , but I dont have the time and who wants to read an accident report on this site ?
here’s how I delt with it
Ill never own another fucin car or truck with a Narc Box in it
I’ll buy old cars and fix them up, because i have the skills the tools and the ability
screw this new ugly a** vehicles we have today anyways
Yes and no
Ive had a 79 F350 and i drive a 16 F350 super duty
Ill stick with the super duty,,, the 79 was fun for a bit but it sure wasnt comfy and honestly, in spite of a built big block 460 it was a dog that cost an arm and a leg to drive, my super duty has balls to the wall HP and can pull like a tractor.
Maybe an old jeep or bronco would be nice for 4wheeling, but….
I collect Buy and sell and Drive 63 thru 72 chevy Pickups. And a fixed up one will easily sell for thousands of dollars. ive sold three this year. Yep I actually make money on what I drive.
1993 Nissan 4WD stick PU
1998 Dodge Ram auto PU
2004 Mazda B4000 4wd stick PU
2002 VW Golf TDI stick
all sitting in my driveways.
All are computers with an engine
and 4 tires. Even the dealer can’t
figure out the problems they pop up
with, but I keep them running.
Thankfully I’m a software engineer
with 5 computers and I’m good backyard
mechanic with tools and a 60 gallon
5 HP air compressor.
I hate Fords, and GM even more.
Fords because they mix SAE and metric.
GM because it is the Democrat car company.
Rellik, I used to be an old GM fan but not anymore since Obamanation bailed them out. They’re just not the same company anymore. I’m still looking at getting another old truck to fix up. None of this new shit for me.
Red Hawk, I also stick with the old technology and pay cash for them. I don’t make enough money to even worry about financing. But I still have to take mine to a shop when something goes wrong with it. I never went to mechanics’ school. I don’t like the new ones anyway.
DR,
My mechanics school started at age 8.
My father hated working on his cars.
He would buy a car book and read it to me
while I did the work as he drank beer
and smoked his Kent cigarettes.
The only time he stepped in was when I was
not strong enough to lift something.
Also my step grandfather was a factory
trained Ford Mechanic, he taught me a
thing or two. I still have some of his tools.
I never took autoshop in High school.
Whenever I buy a vehicle I purchase a factory manual
for it. They aren’t cheap but the first use will pay
for it. Also youtube videos cover virtually everything
you need to do. Download them in the event that
the internet goes down someday.
You are correct.
That is why Obama’s first big act after his election was the “cash for clunkers program.” The government wanted older cars shreaded and melted down, out of circulation.
That is also why the government pushes self driving cars.
They MUST keep and eye on people like YOU.
You are dangerous. You use your brain to think.
But don’t worry. The 5g kill grid will melt that brain soon.
Quite weapons for quite wars, 5G.
and i forgot ROBOTZ
I see these new vehicle ads showing large computer screens in the center of the dashboard. To hell with that BS. The new cars are downright ugly and priced like a house outside of ripoff America. The price to insure the contraptions has gone through the roof even with no accidents or tickets ever. This is where our glorious leaders have taken us straight into the poorhouse.
Sorry sir, but your car’s OS isn’t supported anymore…
Why won’t my new phone pair with my car?
Why won’t the new app work?
What do you mean you don’t make 12.2″ replacement screens compatible with my SUV?
You’ve got to make at least $50,000 per year to qualify for a prime or subprime car loan and also have the right kind of credit history to along with the income. And even then you can still have trouble trying to get that credit application approved. I’ve been turned away from wholesale lots and even those ‘buy here pay here’ lots. I can’t even get that ‘in-house’ financing as they call it. So what else is there to do? CRAIGSLIST. And I don’t like the idea of going there with all the controversy surrounding it. I even know a few people who have been victimized on craigslist. But what else can someone with a credit problem do when he needs wheels?
Steal a car from an illegal alien? 😛
Genius, LMAO! No, I’ll pass on that. Can’t stand that ‘illegal alien odor’ on the inside, LOL! I don’t need something THAT bad.
Aljamo, same here. I don’t even make enough money to worry about credit. As long as I can still get an older one for cash and keep it going I’m just fine.
Believe it or not, the resurgence of the homesteader/prepper movement occured when a fraction of hippies realized that not only was middle class suburban life on the periphery of cities was as fake as artificial plastic flowers, but inevitably hippie protests were equally pointless.
Some fled to communes not out of politics but merely to subsist. Then some had to practice ancestral skills just to make ends meet.
Ultimately some understood that people in communal life are selfish not altruistic, thus they started the Back to the Land Movement and SELF-RELIANCE. Many of them came to Kentucky and started little farms and luckily were befriended by old timer locals. Country people have traditionally been resources to newcomers since homesteading began despitre being somewhat insular.
Earlier people like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Emerson had come to similar conclusions.
I don’t know how old you are but Mother Earth News began on a shoestring and the guest staff wrote columns about making crude shelters more like shacks to barely get by that first year until you could slowly build a homestead.
This homesteader/prepper/survivalist movement has become an amalgam of returning veterans, hippies, rural folk, and now young permies who reject the industrial bluecollar paradigm. Instead they are embracing a multigenerational home concept in the boondocks and despise urbanization.
If y’all stay in the urban areas…you will perish. That post1880-1990 industrial period is all but finished.
A noble undertaking. But, if they use anything that requires hydrocarbons to make or run, they will perish along with everyone else in the coming collapse…just not as quickly.
See woodgas generators ie pyrolysis which has been used in history whenever fuel was unavailable.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/green-transportation/wood-gas-generator
Cavitation was supposed to neutralize toxic and radioactive wastes.
Hmmm. Well there was an outfit in the nineties called Molten Metal Technologies and they were attempting to immerse toxic waste in molten metal to reduce these to their elemental inert forms.However though there was some initial promise, it failed.
A French firm claimed they could filter out radioactivity from irradiated water at Fukushima…but they failed. There is no solution to radioactive half-life which can take immense amounts of time to decay.
There’s a sucker to fit every seat .
We sure picked a winner when we voted for trump!! (I ONLY voted for him because P.C.Roberts said to in order to avoid nuclear war!!~)
I agree. The last 2 cars, my wife’s 2000 Astro Van was traded in 3 months ago. My 2003 Avalanche was traded in Feb of this year.
WE keep cars as long as we can. We buy what we like, usually new or 1 year old, and keep them 14-15 years.
I would like a new Chevy Tahoe… but who can afford one that costs $70,000…???
GM should of been allowed to die years ago without US taxpayer money. Let it die now without any life buoys.
Greedy corporations will get what’s coming to them. Soon all the suit executives won’t have a job either. RIP.