To help increase production of heavy-duty pickups, GM said on Jan. 24 that it will add 750 jobs at its historic, recession-battered birthplace of Flint, Michigan.
A third shift -- comprised in part of previously laid-off workers -- is to join the plant's existing 2,000 work force.
"Adding a third shift is a response to customer demand for heavy-duty pickups, which most people use to tow, haul and plow," said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America.
"Equally importantly, it brings jobs and a needed economic boost to the Flint area."
Northwest of Detroit, Flint was GM's original home, but later become a by-word for the U.S. auto sector's decline as manufacturing jobs shifted to Mexico and beyond. In the late 1980s the city once again rose to international fame, when it featured in Michael Moore's "Roger & Me," a film which chronicled the impact of factory closures on local workers.
"These additional jobs are further evidence of the success of the domestic automotive industry after many in the country said it was dead," said United Auto Workers vice president Joe Ashton.
"Considering that this additional volume could have been produced in Mexico, we are pleased that GM has chosen to invest in Flint. These are good-paying jobs that will support many other jobs in the Flint community."
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2011
