It’s the end of the line for General Motors plant
Monday’s announcement that General Motors will close its Oklahoma City assembly plant next year ends a 27-year business relationship that has been lucrative for workers, management and central Oklahoma.
There is no good time for such an announcement, but the timing before the holidays is doubly hard. Some have suggested the timing is a blessing so that workers and their families don’t ring up excessive holiday expenses that will be harder to repay next year. In a large operation like General Motors, sensitivity often takes a back seat to the bottom line.
For the most part, leaders of both parties have yet to point fingers or lay blame for the plant closing. We saw a hint of it in one press release from a defeated Corporation Commission candidate Monday, but most others have been empathetic with the workers’ plight.
GM said the closing is a result of market forces and not a reflection of the work force’s quality. The plant has long been cited as a model of efficiency. Oklahoma GM workers, like those in other fields, routinely won industry praise for their work ethic.