General Motors’ Reopened Plants Generate $3B in Wages

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tBy restarting idled plants in Michigan and Tennessee, General Motors Co. created more than 3,000 direct jobs in 2013, with employment expected to grow more than 11 percent this year, says a recently released report.

tThe report, by the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, focuses on the economic impact of a UAW-GM agreement to restart production at three GM plants in 2011 and 2012. According to the report, the reopening of the Orion Assembly Plant in Orion Township, the Pontiac Metal Center in Pontiac, and the Spring Hill Assembly Plant in Tennessee supported nearly 35,600 indirect and spin-off jobs.

t“This analysis shows that GM’s employment at Orion, Pontiac, and Spring Hill produced an estimated $3 billion in employee compensation in the U.S. economy in 2013 and 2014,” says Kristin Dziczek, lead author of the study and director of CAR’s industry and labor group.

tIn 2009, the UAW and GM agreed to place the three assembly plants and one metal stamping plant (Janesville Assembly in Wisconsin), on “stand-by” status in response to the severe market downturn and GM’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, officials say.

tTwo years later, GM decided to restart the manufacturing plants in an effort to meet domestic demand, largely by displacing imports from Korea and Canada. Only Janesville Assembly remains idle.

tTo read the full report, click here.