General Motors Co. terminated Chevrolet Cruze production at its Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant on Wednesday, accelerating an earlier scheduled shutdown. A Reuters file photo from November 2018 showed the facility, which now faces indefinite idling as part of GM's plan to close five North American plants in 2019.
The United Auto Workers union filed a lawsuit alleging GM violated a 2015 collective bargaining agreement by ending production and eliminating jobs. The UAW seeks court intervention to reverse plant closures and secure compensation for affected workers, claiming contractual breaches.
GM stated its actions comply with the UAW-GM National Agreement, emphasizing ongoing negotiations to address business challenges. The automaker previously announced 15,000 job cuts and production halts at five North American plants, including a Canadian facility. A Detroit plant's operations were extended through January 2020 after an earlier June 2019 closure date was revised.
U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the job losses, demanding GM identify a replacement product for the Lordstown facility and threatening to reduce company subsidies. Additional plant shutdowns are scheduled for Maryland’s White Marsh facility on May 3 and Michigan’s Warren Transmission plant by August, with Canada’s Oshawa plant set to cease operations by year-end.
