GM to Eliminate More Than Half the Work Force at W.Va. Plant Over the Next Few Years

CHARLESTON, W.Va. September 30, 2004; Erik Schelzig writing for the AP reporte that General Motors Corp. will eliminate more than half the work force at its Martinsburg, W.Va. plant over the next few years, the company said Wednesday.

Between 50 and 100 jobs will be moved out of the plant within the next six months as the company shifts packaging responsibilities to three processing plants in Michigan, said Katie McBride, a spokeswoman for GM Service and Parts Operations. The remaining 150 to 200 processing jobs will be moved within the next several years, she said.

The distribution center provides parts to GM dealers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It employs about 440 workers.

"We are -- like everyone else in the automotive industry -- under tremendous pressure to improve customer satisfaction and improve operational efficiency," McBride said. "We've analyzed our supply chain strategy, and looked at how we can better serve the customer and streamline our delivery process."

Under a contract with the United Auto Workers, the transferred positions are not considered layoffs. Workers will be given the option to move to other GM plants or other work will be found for them in the Martinsburg area, McBride said.

Officials at UAW Local 1590 did not immediately return call for comment late Wednesday.

Detroit-based GM previously trimmed more than 200 jobs from the Martinsburg plant's work force when it opened a $26 million, 380,000-square-foot parts distribution center in 2001. That investment had allayed earlier fears that GM might leave the state entirely.