Worker: GM Told Us About Plant Closing By Playing A Video In The Break Room

[Omaha Steve]

Sahid Fawaz November 30, 2018
You would think that an event as devastating to workers and their community as a plant closing would be handled with some tact by GM.

But according to workers, the announcement was made known to workers via a video shown in the break room.

In an interview with Vox, Nanette Senters described her work at the Lordstown, OH GM plant: one of the five plants that GM will close.

‘I work in the body shop; it’s basically the metal assembly division. I assemble pieces and parts in the car doors. I work like a human robot every day, but none of us mind working hard. We have good benefits and pay.’

FULL story: http://labor411.org/411-blog/worker-gm-told-us-about-plant-closing-by-playing-a-video-in-the-break-room/

[libdem4life]

1. Our WH Resident's Bestie...

screwed him and all the workers. American capitalism at its finest.

[pecosbob]

2. Security will now escort you to the parking lot...

and remember to vote Republican!

[appalachiablue]

19. And, Happy Holidays!

[rockfordfile]

3. One, the fact that some racists issues have showed up at one of their plants.

Two, the fact is they should keep producing the Volt. GM should continue to advance the tech.

[lpbk2713]

4. "Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas."

...

[KCDebbie]

5. A HR former co-worker of mine told me that a friend of hers

Also worked HR a telecom company whose name means Run Fast, a major employer in Kansas City. Her friend told her that when Run Fast lays off employees, a press briefing is sent out to the local media but the actual laid off employees don't find who they are until they report to the campus for work, swipe their security badges for entrance and then find that their badges no longer work!

Sick phuckers...

[lpbk2713]

6. I'm not saying it's right ...

but maybe they don't want to take a chance on any
disgruntled employees getting near their software.

[KCDebbie]

11. The point I was trying to make is that it's sick

To allow people to line up a door only then to find out whether or not they still have a job.

Like the whole process is some kind of sick beauty pageant or something...

[lpbk2713]

13. Understood

...

[Luciferous]

16. Right? If they don't want them coming in the building they could just call and let them know

they no longer have a job. I think too many people these days are scared of confrontation but I guess with all of the shootings that happen it's understandable.

[lapfog_1]

27. you mean the Southern Pacific Railroad Internal NeTwork?

which is actually where the name comes from...

https://www.npr.org/2012/10/15/162963607/sprint-born-from-railroad-telephone-businesses

and they merged with KC based United Telecom back in the 1980s?

I should know... I worked for UIS ( formerly UCS ) from 1980 to 1983. They fired me (the only time in my career that I was fired) and my team in 1983.

We found out because our electronic card keys failed to open the doors to our office building.

Seems like they haven't changed a bit.

[KCDebbie]

31. I said Run Fast and I meant Run Fast!

I'm not throwing dirt, just trying to show how messed up some companies termination/layoff procedures are...

[Hermit-The-Prog]

7. "Chevy family" advertisements

Throughout the weekend college and pro football games there was a barrage of advertisements about the "Chevy family" and employee discounts. That's some brazen hypocrisy.

[Ohiogal]

29. I noticed the same thing and felt the same way. Kinda sickening.

I think there are a lot of blue-collar workers around here who are going to vow never to buy a Chevy product again after what they did to the Lordstown workers.

[still_one]

8. A lot of GM and Ford cars are sold in China. The Trump trade wars and tariffs on steel prices

contributed to GMs 1 billion dollar loss which helped lead to this

Now the Trump administration has announced they will try to get rid of the electric, fuel cell, and clean energy subsidy by 2020

A race to the bottom because the Japanese and Korean manufacturers will not be deterred by that. Unfortunately, I am not so sure if American manufacturers feel the same

I remember George W visiting an auto plant in Mchigan making fun of the Toyota Prius during his run for President

The U.S. was the only country at the G20 not to sign onto the global warming crisis, and reducing green house gases

[former9thward]

10. The U.S. is reducing greenhouse gases.

China, a G20 member, on the other hand is rapidly increasing their emissions.

China — which already emits more carbon from burning fossil fuels than the United States and Europe combined — saw electricity use jump last year as its economy accelerated. Much of the extra demand was met by burning more coal, a particularly dirty fuel. Oil use has also risen as China has become the world’s largest car market, and so has natural gas consumption.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/business/china-davos-climate-change.html

U.S. emmissions:

[still_one]

12. Oh please. Trump has done everything Obama did to reduce green house gasses, by removing all the

EPA restrictions in green House gasses. Those effects haven’t worked into the system, and they will start to impact unless something changes

Are you suggesting Trump’s environmental policies are the right direction?

China may be the largest emitter of green house gasses, but they are actively pursuing technology
to reduce that, the US is doing just the opposite. They also have a larger population and recognize the problem and are doing something about it. The US is doing just the opposite under Trump

Shouldn’t the US set the example?

I never have understood why some want to compare us to the worst cases, as though the implication is there are worse examples, so that means we should move that direction

[former9thward]

15. No, China does not have any interest in reducing gases.

Neither does India and 100 other Asian, African and South American nations. They are all going all out to move hundreds of millions into the middle class every year. They want it now. That means massive greenhouse emissions. China and the others know how to smile and sign meaningless agreements with no enforcement mechanisms. They know how to con people who are willing to be conned.

I could have posted information about U.S. emissions in 2017 from the EPA but you would have said they were making it up. But it is available on the internet for anyone to see. I am not going to make predictions on the future based on no evidence like you have done. Show me where the graph is wrong.

[still_one]

17. Are you suggesting that because other countries are worse polluters we should follow their example?

I don't know if you have been to China, but I have seen massive changes from the 70's to today to reduce pollution there. You want to believe the anti-Asian propaganda going on right now that they have no interest in reducing pollution, that is a false statement.

Among other thing they are encouraging emission free vehicles, mass transit, cleaning up their water etc. To say they have no interest in reducing pollution is untrue. I cannot speak about India because I have not personally been there, but I have been to China from the Seventies to the present, and I have seen the progress made there.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/upshot/china-pollution-environment-longer-lives.html


Whatever, I am not going to get into a pissing contest with you over this, my main point is we should NOT emulate the worst polluters, and that is exactly the justification you seem to be implying that it is ok to reverse what President Obama and his predecessors before him, including Nixon and George H. Bush have done to attack the problem and have the U.S. be the example

[Takket]

20. Ford and GM are pretty much "all in"

On autonomous electric

[still_one]

22. I know, but that is at least 5 years or more down the road, and unlike Tesla which has the

infrastructure, GM and Ford do not, and it would take a good deal of time to build that, and most likely they would need to go in with other manufacturers in cooperation to build that infrastructure. Even the Tesla infrastructure throughout the country, it still needs expansion as more Tesla's are put on the road. Tesla's can utilize DCFast or Level 1/Level 2 charging. As far as I am aware GM and Ford only utililze Level 1/level 2 charging, so they will have to move to DCFast in order to making charging time on long trips practical.

In spite of Tesla success, it is far from certain how quickly the public will accept all electric, yet alone self-driving vehicles.

The most diversified car company right now is Toyota. They have all electric, plug in hybrid, hybrid, fuel cell, and ICE.

Ford is potentially better situated then GM with hybrids because they have more hybrid vehicles than GM, but have essentially said they will eliminate their auto business in the U.S. and move toward SUV. GM unfortunately eliminated the Volt, whose technology was beautiful and ahead of everyone else and provided excellent flexibility in a vehicle. It is unknown if they plan to move the voltec technology to other vehicles. Unlike Ford, GM is not eliminating their automobile business, and letting the Japanese, Koreans, and Europeans control that market.

The Trump administration has announced they will move to eliminate the subsidies currently provided on all electric, and clean air vehicles, and if that happens, it will be even more difficult to sell all electric to the public, because it will be price prohibitive.

No one knows what the future will hold, but as long as we have the trump and republicans in control of one or both houses, all electric vehicles have a very uncertain future.

[former9thward]

9. Ok, how should it be done?

Auto plants are huge operations with thousands of employees. Are these employees to be called in one by one? And told by who? Someone at the lower level that probably does not have all the information needed?

[still_one]

18. No, but instead of playing a video they could of had a person from HR go to the plants affected, and

PERSONALLY explain the situation in a group setting, along with the pertinent information they need to know, along with contacts if there are any questions, and any outplacing services provided.

The Company by law, The Warn Act has to announce if more than 50% of a workforce is being laid off, I believe at least 3 months before it happens. They fulfilled that obligation, but did it in an impersonal way.

Just having a live person, even at a lower level would have been the right thing to do. I can tell you right now information in that video could have been conveyed by a person present on site, and during that meeting general questions could have been answered. That is the right way to do it.

[LanternWaste]

28. Odd that can only perceive two possibilities.

Call them in one by one, or deactivate their cards.

Rational thought allows for many additional (and more effective and efficient) possibilities.

Maybe not so odd after all.

[still_one]

14. You are right OS it is a rotten way to do it. The auto industry isn't the only one to handle

this in such a way, which I suspect will be more of a trend in today’s world

[Blue_true]

21. Yes. Likely a trend. nt

[still_one]

23. but it would NOT have been a big deal for them to send a live representative to the impacted plants,

and would have at least showed an element of humanity

[Blue_true]

24. I agree. GM must have hundreds of personnel people.

They could have easily sent 10-20 person teams to each affected plant to meet with groups of workers. Poorly thought out announcement.

[JCMach1]

25. GM is killing the best car the ever made, the Volt

The stupidity is strong with this company

[extvbroadcaster]

30. Yes, the Volt rules

My brother in law has a volt and loves it. The guy from the Sierra club that delivered my bird seed was driving a volt. Nobody can figure out why GM wants to get ahead of the curve but is stopping building a good electric car. Makes no sense.

[dembotoz]

26. in telecom company that went bk...after emerging company wide video hookup

about 1/3 way thru i turned to my boss and said looks like we are getting laid off

he said yep sure does and we were.....

if you use video everyone gets the same message at the same time
less misinterpretation, better than the one by one firing squad that would be the alternative.