GM to Cut Production at Four North American Plants and Lay Off 2,000 Workers

At the same time that General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner is making a case for the emergency bailout loan in Washington DC, the automaker announced that it will cut down production at four of its North American plants and as a result, lay off an additional 2,000 workers early next year. GM spokesman Chris Lee said that the company will temporarily halt production at its assembly plants in Lordstown, Ohio; Oshawa, Ontario; and Orion Township, Michigan for the month of January and eliminate the third shift from each factory from February 2009. Furthermore, GM will stop production at its Fairfax plant in Kansas which builds the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura, for a week during mid-January.