General Motors to Close Baltimore Assembly Plant in 2005; Two Van Models to Be Discontinued

BALTIMORE November 16, 2004; Sarah Brumfield writing for the AP reported that General Motors Corp. will close a Baltimore assembly plant next year that employs about 1,100 people and makes two van models that are being discontinued, a spokesman for the world's biggest automaker said Tuesday.

It was well-known that closing the plant was a possibility as it had been targeted for closing under a four-year contract that the company and the United Auto Workers agreed to last year. GM had not announced its specific plans for the plant until Tuesday.

GM spokesman Stefan Weinmann said GM officials delivered the news Tuesday morning to employees at the Broening Highway plant which has about 1,000 hourly workers and 100 salaried workers.

The plant's two van lines, the Chevrolet Astro and the GMC Safari, will be discontinued sometime in 2005, he said.

"They were introduced 20 years ago, in 1985, and they really have reached the end of their life cycle," Weinmann said.

Joe Spielman, vice president and general manager for vehicle manufacturing, told reporters after talking with workers that "GM can no longer justify building these two products at volumes that are significantly below the plant's capacity."

Weinmann said the plant produced 41,000 vehicles through the first 10 months of this year.

He said no date had been set for the closure, and that it was too early yet to determine what the company would offer the employees.

"The workers have a safety net written into their labor agreement," he said.