GM will produce at least 13,500 fewer trucks at Fort Wayne plant

 

   General Motors Corp. makes about 900 pickups at its Fort Wayne Assembly Plant each day the plant operates. At that rate, the plant will reduce its production by at least 13,500 trucks before the year is out.

    Instead of taking its usual one-week shutdown in July for summer vacations, the plant will be shut down for the first two weeks in July, and it will be shut down for two additional weeks between Sept. 1 and the end of the year.

    The plant makes Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. It has 2,963 hourly and 248 salaried employees, including more than 100 who are temporary summer employees filling in for workers taking vacations.

    The facility will reduce its production to bring it in line with falling demand. Alicia Kocher, a spokeswoman for GM's plants in Fort Wayne and Marion, said January-through-May Silverado sales were down 26 percent, and Sierra sales were down 16 percent.

    The company is cutting costs through a buyout offer made to members of the United Auto Workers who are eligible for early retirement. Under an agreement with the union, workers hired to replace them will come on at a lower wage tier.

    About 460 workers accepted the buyout offer at the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant, and Kocher said the plant has started bringing in transfers from other plants to fill the positions.