GM’s Baltimore Operations among plants that will stop production in 2019

A General Motors plant in Baltimore County could close as part of a company-wide restructuring by the auto giant.
GM said Monday it would lay off up to 14,000 factory and white collar workers, and idle five plants in the U.S. and Canada, according to the Associated Press. Among the plants that will halt production next year are the Baltimore Operations plant in White Marsh. The facility focuses on transmissions and employs 310 people, according to a company website. GM plans to stop current production there on April 1, the AP reported. With the shifts, some factory workers could transfer, or the plants could get different vehicles to build.
Also affected are a second transmission plant in Warren, Mich., and assembly plants in Detroit, Warren, Ohio, and Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
With the cuts, GM is also killing off models including the Chevrolet Volt, Cruze and Impala in response to a dip in preference for cars. Meanwhile, the automaker said in a statement that it invested in newer vehicle architectures for SUVs, trucks and crossovers. The company is looking to double down on electric and autonomous vehicles, as well as ridesharing.
“We recognize the need to stay in front of changing market conditions and customer preferences to position our company for long-term success,” CEO Mary Barra said in a statement.
GM has a long history in Baltimore. The automaker’s assembly plant on Broening Highway opened in 1935 and employed 1,100 people when it closed in 2005. The facility now houses Amazon’s fulfillment center in Baltimore.
Opened in 2000, the plant in White Marsh is 471,000 sq. ft., and has since seen $134.5 million in investment. Baltimore Operations makes two-mode hybrid transmissions, electric motors and transmissions that go into Chevrolet Sierra and GMC Sierra pickup trucks, according to its website. It employs 253 hourly and 57 salaried employees. GM paid $33.1 in wages to workers there in 2017. Workers are represented by UAW Local 239.
Baltimore County government is making its workforce development team available, and said the Eastpoint Career Center will help match workers with employers seeking advanced manufacturing talent.
“Baltimore County stands with the workers and their families who are part of a decades-long GM manufacturing legacy in Baltimore, from advanced hybrid motors in White Marsh to vehicle production at Broening Highway,” County Executive Don Mohler said in a statement. “Our workers are second to none.”