Chevy Volt to fill in for the 19,000 fleeing sheep at GM?
By Matt Jansen
GM just announced that 19,000 of its hourly workers in the United States chose to accept buyout offers with various options. The company will replace those leaving with fewer, lower paid workers. Struggling against a dropping demand for larger vehicles, will the thirst for green vehicles like the Chevy Volt fill the void?
The theme for GM in recent months has been cutting fat and focusing efforts on building cars that do the same for its customers. As an example, the Chevy Volt has the potential to eliminate most of a driver’s gasoline budget, and substitute in a smaller bump in electricity costs.
In the last couple of years, GM has cut over 53,000 hourly workers and $9 billion in fixed costs, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“This attrition program gives us an opportunity to restructure our U.S. workforce through the entry-level wage and benefit structure for new hourly employees,” Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, said in a statement. “We appreciate the UAW’s support in making business improvements that provide a more secure future for General Motors and its employees.”
Considering GM’s focus on shifting its offering of vehicles to energy efficient vehicles, it’s unlikely that the Chevy Volt project will suffer, especially because the company is rumored to have given the project time a virtually unlimited budget.
But, with more experienced and higher paid hourly workers leaving the company, will upcoming models like the Chevy Volt suffer in quality levels?
Nothing will be more disappointing for future Chevy Volt customers if the minor fortune they saved as a down payment nets them a lemon model.
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