| For immediate release June 26, 2009 |
Contact: Erin Donar
202-225-3611
|
|||
| Congressman Kildee Applauds G.M. Decision to Build New Small Car at Lake Orion Assembly Plant |
||||
| Project Will Preserve 1,200 Local Jobs | ||||
| Washington, D.C. – According to sources familiar with the situation, General Motors has decided it will manufacture its new small car at the Lake Orion Assembly plant in Michigan. Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI), Co-Chair of the Congressional Automotive Caucus, has long called for the car to be assembled in Michigan and praised the decision as a victory for the local economy. A final announcement is contingent upon final approval by G.M.'s board of directors and is expected to come shortly. “This is wonderful news for our local community and for the Michigan economy. Through meetings with G.M. leaders, conference calls and letters, I have consistently pushed for the company to build their new small car at Orion Assembly and I’m very happy that those efforts have paid off. By choosing Michigan to build this new model, G.M. has recognized our talented and highly-skilled workforce as well as the deep roots the auto industry has in our state,” said Congressman Kildee. “The assembly operation further anchors G.M.’s position in Michigan. This is an important step in our efforts to get our auto communities back on the path to success and I look forward to the economic activity this project will bring to our area.” Earlier this month, Congressman Kildee joined with the entire Michigan delegation to send a letter to G.M. calling on the automaker to select Orion Assembly for the new small car. The full text of the letter is below: June 16, 2009 Mr. Frederick Henderson President & CEO General Motors Corporation 300 Renaissance Center Detroit , MI 48265 Dear Mr. Henderson, We applaud General Motors and the United Auto Workers for coming to an agreement that will allow GM to become the first automobile manufacturer to produce compact and subcompact cars here in the United States. We have great confidence that this type of bold, forward looking decision will be characteristic of the new GM approach, and will allow it to be a global leader in every vehicle class. As you engage in the process of determining which facility will assemble these new small cars, we want to emphasize how strongly we feel that Orion Assembly represents the best choice for GM. As you know, the Orion facility has a number of strengths, such as proximity to the supply base in Southeast Michigan, proximity to corporate headquarters in Detroit, energy savings from the use of landfill gas to power the plant, strong relations between local UAW leaders and plant management, as well as the large numbers of highly trained and highly skilled auto workers, engineers, and other critical employees in the area. Just as important as any of these factors is another quality that is more difficult to put a dollar sign on, but should weigh heavily in favor of locating the new facility in Southeast Michigan. The State of Michigan and General Motors have a century of shared history, and the people of our state have never failed to stand behind GM. During the last century, the people of Michigan worked on GM’s assembly lines, engineered its cars and trucks, and sat in its corporate boardrooms. Paychecks from GM allowed the people of Michigan to buy their homes, educate their children, and build the middle class. Unfortunately, these are tough times for both GM and Michigan. No industry has been hit harder by the global credit crisis and economic downturn than the automobile industry, and no state has suffered as much as Michigan has. Our unemployment rate, which is already the highest in the nation, will rise as a result the recently announced factory closings as over half will occur in Michigan. Oakland County will be particularly hard hit with three facilities being closed and more than 6,500 UAW workers losing their jobs. GM’s restructuring efforts will continue to result in layoffs and early retirement for thousands of white collar employees, many of whom make their home in Oakland County, and will create uncertainty for thousands of employees at the region’s many auto suppliers. But the people of Michigan believe that a new GM will emerge from this painful restructuring process stronger, more competitive, and with the potential to once again create enormous opportunity for millions. For all these reasons it seems clear that not only is a strong GM good for Michigan, but also that a strong Michigan is good for GM. That is why we believe that as GM invests in its future by opening a new, state of the art small car assembly facility, it is in the best interest of the company to invest in Michigan’s future by locating that facility at Orion Assembly. Sincerely, Senator Debbie Stabenow Senator Carl Levin Congressman Gary Peters Congressman John D. Dingell Congressman Fred Upton Congressman Mike Rogers Congressman Dale Kildee Congressman David Camp Congressman Sandy Levin Congressman Bart Stupak Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick Congressman Vern Ehlers Congressman Mark Schauer Congresswoman Candice Miller Congressman John Conyers Congressman Pete Hoekstra Congressman Thaddeus McCotter ### |
||||