UPDATE: Governor Jack Markell has released the following statement about the GM closing:
WILMINGTON — Gov. Jack Markell released the following statement Monday in response to General Motors’ decision to close its Boxwood Road plant. Since taking office in January, Markell has worked with U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, U.S. Sen. Ted Kaufman and U.S. Rep. Mike Castle to be in frequent contact with GM officials. The Governor also recently met with President Obama’s car czar and told the company the state would be willing to offer assistance if GM would idle the plant instead of closing the facility.
“The employees at the Boxwood Road plant worked hard every day and deserved a chance to help General Motors regroup and move forward,” Markell said. “GM has sent many strong signals in the past few years that it was leaning toward closing this plant, but that does not make this news any less unfortunate or soften its impact on the workers and their families.
“We stand ready to help the plant’s talented employees learn new skills so they can be competitive in the job market. The Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Social Services will be deploying teams to help the workers get the necessary training and assistance. The workers at the GM plant gave some of the most productive years of their lives to the company and helped GM be an important part of Delaware’s economy in the past. We owe it to these workers to help them become part of Delaware’s economic future.”
El Somnambulo hopes that GM and Chrysler workers, as well as other laid-off or unemployed manufacturing sector workers, have the first crack at the green energy jobs that Delaware is trying to develop. In that context, he hopes that both DEDO and DNREC will join with the Departments of Labor and Health & Social Services in developing state-of-the art training for those workers.
Back to the original post:
Horrible news. GM has announced that it will shutter the Boxwood GM plant. The News-Journal has the entire story.
Everyone must know that the workforce at the Boxwood plant has consistently been one of the best in the country, based on quality control measures. While there are logistical reasons why the closing makes sense, i. e. distance from the midwest suppliers and the dire financial straits GM finds itself in, this is a tragedy for the 1000-plus employees, their families, all of the businesses that depend on the GM workforce, and to the state as a whole. Our manufacturing base is now close to being decimated.
El Somnambulo extends his sympathies to all those who are affected, and he salutes the brothers and sisters of UAW Local 435 for performing at such a high level over such a long period of time. The men and women on the line succeeded against all odds, it was the corporate empty suits in Detroit who failed them.