General Motors (GM) disclosed plans to lay off 1,300 workers from two Michigan plants as it ends production of the iconic Chevrolet Camaro and electric Chevrolet Bolt.
GM will lay off 945 workers from the Orion Subsystem facility in Lake Orion, Mich., according to a new Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter. The company is ending production of the Chevrolet Bolt model built at the plant on Dec. 18.
Another 369 workers represented at the Lansing Grand River Assembly/Stamping facility are also facing cuts starting next month, according to a separate letter, as the company ends the production of the Chevrolet Camaro.
“In regard to our Lansing Grand River Assembly plant, we are adjusting staffing levels due to the end of Camaro production,” Kevin Kelly, senior director for GM corporate news relations, said in a statement to The Hill.
“As a result, about 350 employees will be affected beginning Jan. 2. GM anticipates having job opportunities for all impacted team members per the provisions of the UAW-GM National Agreement.”
The affected employees are represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which negotiated historic contracts with GM as well as Ford and Stellantis this fall. Union members ratified deals with the three major automakers in mid-November.
“We were unable to provide more notice of this Additional Planned Action because the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement was not ratified until approximately a week ago,” wrote Justin Wicker, GM’s director of human resources and labor relations, in the letter for Orion Assembly dated Dec. 1.
“Once ratified, we had to identify the structural changes to the workforce at the Orion Subsystem facility with the inclusion of Subsystems into the bargaining unit, and determine what layoffs were required by the structural changes. We are providing as much notice as is practicable under the circumstances.”
Kelly told The Hill that GM will offer affected Orion Assembly workers represented by the UAW opportunities at other Michigan plants and all other salaried employees will be placed in other internal roles, per the automaker’s policy.
Orion Assembly will also ramp up production of electric trucks including the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV in late 2025, Kelly added. Facility expansions including “new body and paint shops and new general assembly and battery pack assembly areas” are in the works.
The UAW did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
Updated at 12:59 p.m.