Mr Editor, do you have reporters? this morning paper (june16) you announce GM will anounce at the end of the month which plant will build small car. You mention what the other two states are offering GM, Dont you think the people of janesvill deserve to know what Doyle has offered? Maybe the people should vote on it. It may be way out of line.

Just because you hear something doesn't make it true. It is also a well know fact about GM's quality, when GM closed the Janesville plant other GM plants wanted the Janesville workers over the other plants workers, due to their work quality and work ethic. GM is no different than any other work place they have bad workers and they have good workers.

MadeinUSA: If union members are purposely going to other communities to make necessary purchases, then I hope you are at least doing so in Rock County. If not, then you will lose even more support. I am not related to or close friends with any GM workers, but I have been rooting and defending them for years and want this plant to reopen. However, if what you say is true re: taking your spending money elsewhere, then I will have to reconsider my position.

MadeinUSA, what facts do you have to support your claim that Janesville had the best attendance? And don't just give us Janesville's attendance record. I want percentage's for the other plants.

You have a lot of nerve stating that the Janesville business community did not support Local 95. I am a Janesville business owner and I employed some Local 95 workers and supported many of Local 95's fundraisers. You should be ashamed of yourself!

You heard wrong on all those issues from someone obviously out of the loop, and who does not work there; Janesville had the BEST attendance of all the facilities, Deer hunting time off was negotiated, and our quality was second to none. In the very end we produced more trucks, with the fewest number of people but with the highest quality ever. Ever. However, in the big picture with politicians included in it, GM doesn't consider those metrics.

This attittude as shared by "think4yourself", and the lack of actual vocal support by ANY of the Janesville business community for Local 95 workers, is why we have stopped spending any money in Janesville. If the community continues to project and endorse such ignorance, with silence, we do not support it; we even buy groceries and fuel out of the city limits.

Think4yourself-"I heard Janesville GM workforce ranked so low that is way they close the plant. No other plant shutdown for football games,and deer hunting. I heard out of all the GM plants Janesville GM workers had the worst attendance."

Think: you heard wrong, honey. That Monday night Packer game is such a myth. Sure they shutdown the line that night. But, there were no fewer employees that Monday than any other Monday. The media (ahem...the Gazette) likes to stir the pot and ruffle feathers. Don't believe me?? Find me the link to the story of Lear employees getting a severance package in recent weeks. Some up to 20 THOUSAND dollars. Find me the link to a story re: Lear shutting down GM's line on Halloween because of such low attendance numbers. Here's a hint....don't look too hard!
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The deer hunting "issue"...that "week" off combined other Holidays that occured during the year. Not everyone working at GM/Lear had a birthday the fell during that week!
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A mind is a terrible thing to waste....but a simple mind is a terrible thing to share!

If GM does Re-Open The (Idle)GM Janesville Plant It will be with Re-Negotionated Workers so don't hold your breath for $29 an hour jobs because they won't be there! The new and improved G(Government) M(Motors) will be run completely different than before to make money and those of you that slacked off (and you know who you are) will be gone! Lighter shifts with people that want to work!

I heard Janesville GM workforce ranked so low that is way they close the plant. No other plant shutdown for football games,and deer hunting. I heard out of all the GM plants Janesville GM workers had the worst attendance.

you guys all need to stop fighting and get a life. Here are the facts as of today.

FOR RELEASE: 2009-06-10

Statement On The Plant Selection To Produce The New Small Car For GM

On May 29, GM announced that we will build a future small, fuel-efficient car in the United States utilizing an existing UAW-GM assembly plant that is currently on standby capacity status. The assembly plants in consideration are Orion (Michigan), Spring Hill (Tennessee) and Janesville (Wisconsin). Given the importance of this small car program, and in an effort to move quickly to identify the plant, GM leadership has begun discussions regarding selection criteria with Federal and State government officials from Michigan, Tennessee and Wisconsin. We hope to identify and announce the future production site of the small car within the next several weeks.

MsLeo, not sure where you heard it from, but good for you. Again, I have my sources, I stand by them and I ask that you do not doubt my connections again.

PACKER FAN, great post i totally agree LOL

Hate to burst your balloon ego Joker, I heard it on the news before you posted. So that tells me your sources and I have the same channel on.

Lets face it, the Government will not make this work, they can hardly run the post office.
the only car or truck this household will be buying will be FORD! Government Motors will end up some kind of wellfare program that will cost me some how.

futurerichguy: What were you in the ER for?

Ms Leo and Roadmaster, you two are pathetic! Don't you have anything better to do than bash people?! I cannot believe how negative Janesville has gotten and how mean spirited people have become. It is really sad! I stand by my sources(not the Milwaukee Journal) and remember, you heard it from me first!

The Jokers' sources:

GM executives to meet with Wisconsin delegation
By Thomas Content of the Journal Sentinel

Jun. 9, 2009 4:01 p.m. | Members of the state congressional delegation will meet Wednesday with two General Motors Corp. executives to discuss the possibility of GM reopening its factory in Janesville.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Washington office of U.S. Sen Herb Kohl. Kohl, Sen. Russ Feingold and Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison) and Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) are expected to attend, along with Troy Clarke, head of GM's North America division and Tim Lee, vice president of manufacturing.

The meeting comes little more than a week after GM filed for bankruptcy and announced it was considering the possibility of reopening the Janesville SUV factory to make small cars. The Janesville plant is under consideration along with GM factories in Michigan and Tennessee.

According to a statement from Kohl's office, "The meeting will give members of Wisconsin's congressional delegation an opportunity to make the case for GM's Janesville plant and its workers."

Are these sources the same ones who told you a big box store was leaving the mall? Your sources know as much as a three year old!!

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Posted on November 5 at 10:33 p.m. Joker said - "Janesville is in deep trouble. Again, you heard it hear first. Major box store will be leaving the Janesville Mall after Christmas season and this will start the demise of the mall."

Good news! My sources tell me that GM will be meeting tomorrow with the Wisconsin Congressional delegation about reopening the Janesville Plant. They will be meeting at Sen Kohl's office. I wish them luck! Hopefully, we will have good news very soon!

EvilConservative, I agree with you that school loans for MD's are absurd. Of course, a $250,000 school loan can be paid back quickly when that MD is making twice that in a year. So what you're saying is that we have to pay these MD's insane salaries or we would have even less of them and thus rationing. Do you realize that less than 30% of medical school applicants even get accepted? So there's obviously plenty of people who want to be MDs, and I'm hoping for more than just money. Also, your comment about long waits made me laugh as I'm remembering a time when I waited 2 hours at Mercy in the ER.

Here is the link brainstorm http://www.freep.com/article/20090601/BU....... Just Copy and paste into your browser

futurerichguy: Ok let's take the number 20% since that is what you found, it doesn't negate the fact that 10% of the GDP is already paid by the government. So the doctor makes too much (7 figures) What doctor are you talking about? Only very good specialist make that kind of money, and do you know how many loans they take up to go through all that schooling? As it is now doctors are hard to come by in health care, so we should pay them less and expect to still find doctors? So go to socialized medicine with price fixing, and you will end up with rationing of health care, and some people not worthy of it (too old to need a transplant etc.). Those cool western countries you talk of, well they have rationing, and very long waits, even for people brought in to the ER with an ambulance. Social medicine is a done deal, once done though it can't easily be undone, everyone has health care now, they just may have to pay out of their own pocket, it's choice, and freedom, socialized medicine is freedom, and I guess I missed the right to give socialized medicine in the constitution, as one of the powers given to congress, oh wait, it IS NOT THERE.

they always say its too old to be retooled, their always wrong. Janesville will be retooled

Sorry tom1cass2, it was in the Detroit Free Press, the auto analyst said the Janesville Plant is "probably too old to get the work".

Just want to get my 2 cents in on the health care debate. Evilconservative stated that our health care is more expensive because our government pays half. He/she also underestimated the cost, as health care in this country is 20% of GDP, not 16%. Most of the Western world has nationalized health care and that gobbles up about 10% of their GDP. So our health care is not more expensive because of government intervention, rather I'd speculate it has more to do with the fact that a 7 figure income for surgeons is not viewed as obscene.

The plant that will build the new GM car will be the one whose local union sells itself to the devil. The one with the least job classifications, stricter work rules, and the plant that will give up more holidays. The hell with supplier location, work force, or plant flexibility.

Please let it go.......it's time to move on.....

Brainstorm I read it in the Detroit Free Press when it was first announced. Saw it with my own eyes.

All you people that write about GM & the U.A.W. simple amaze me. First of all doesn't it make you wonder of all the plants that are close that Janesville is even consider one of the three? I'll tell you why it is because Janesville has made the most money for GM and has the best workfore in GM. The local 95 has set the tone for other locals in the U.A.W. and Janesville should be proud of the leadership we have here. The new contract that was just ratified was based on what Janesville has had for a few years already. Obama knows it and I believe he will work to bring jobs back to Wisconsin. Even if Janesville doen't get the car, we remain on the waiting list. There will be another product in Janesville when things pick up. That's what the GM annoucement said three plants, Janesville, Orion, and Spring Hill. I am proud to be a retiree of the U.A.W. and Local 95.

Please, enough with the speculation articles. If you want to read the real news about GM, go to the New York Times or the Detroit Free Press, Auto News section.
Janesville is not mentioned as a possible plant site. The Janesville plant is the oldest in the fleet and needs multi-millions in repairs and improvements in order to even be considered.

??? !!! ?

I think I will wait until a real auto industry analyst writes an article on this before making figuring out the chances for each plant to get this contract.

Oh, and Penske all but guaranteed that the Spring Hill plant will remain open for the next couple years at least. Building, more than likely, either the Chevy Traverse or the Saturn Outlook. Not the small car GM is making Janesville, Orion, and Spring Hill fight over.

A lot of you people need to quit speculating at which plants will build what for Penske just because he purchased Saturn. ANY ONE OF THESE THREE PLANTS CAN BUILD ANY VEHICLE GM WANTS THEM TO. IT IS A MATTER OR TOOLING, NOT WHETHER SPRING HILL WAS A SATURN PLANT OR WHETHER JANESVILLE BUILT SUVS OR WHETHER ORION BUILT MIDSIZE CARS. Anyone that has worked in an automotive assembly plant can tell you that! All three locations have their good points and their bad points. Also, as Penske just single-handedly saved 13,000 jobs, you have to remember now that GM has committed to continue building Saturns for Mr. Penske for the next few years. This means that they will continue to build the Saturn Aura, Outlook, and Vue. One of the sticking points with shutting the Saturn brand down was to kill the Saturn Outlook (built in Lansing) and move production of the Chevy Traverse (built in Spring Hill) to Lansing Delta Township. But, now that GM has committed to keeping those three Saturn models, Penske essentially threw a wrench in GM's plan to move the Chevy. The Lansing plant already builds the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and the Buick Enclave. IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT GM WILL NOW STILL MOVE THE TRAVERSE TO LANSING. WHILE THE PLANT IS FLEXIBLE, FOUR DIFFERENT MODELS IS NOT AN EASY FEAT FOR AN ASSEMBLY PLANT. PLUS, ONE PLANT PROBABLY DOESN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO BUILD 4 DIFFERENT MODELS. The likelihood is that GM will either continue to build the Chevy in Spring Hill or fully swap the production of the two, moving production of the Outlook to Spring Hill. Swapping the lines is not likely though, because there are still costs involved with tooling for the assembly plants AND THE SUPPLIERS IN THE AREA.

Now, for those of you that think you know it all but still need a little education as to the goings-on of an assembly plant, here you go. This is specifically for any of you that think anything Saturn should go to Spring Hill because they built Saturns because you have absolutely NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

Just one short year ago (before GM eliminated healthcare for salaried retirees on Jan. 1, 2009) just about every GM retiree was against doing anything about healthcare. Now that salaried retirees no longer have it they sure think something needs to be done about it. We can wait and see how long it takes for the UAW funded healtcare to go bankrupt. It only took Catepillar’s union funded healthcare 7 years to go bankrupt. Let's wait and see how long it takes after the unemployed run out of money before we see widespread social unrest. The drug wars on the Mexico / U.S. border will look like tea parties compared to what is to come. Fix healthcare and you fix unemployment and a whole bunch of other problems that have been creeping up for decades. Fix healthcare and the Janesville plant’s future suddenly looks brighter.

Red Healthcare is a problem, but not sure it's as much of a problem as people make it out to be, but it soon will be. Approx 16% of the GDP is health care, of that approx 50% of that 16% (8% of GDP) is already government run (Medicare and Medicaid). I work in healthcare, and I can tell you that government healthcare pays 1/2 of what the prices are for services, so the rest of the bill gets passed on to the other payers, insurance, and non insurance patients. If goverment were to step out of healthcare, the prices of services would drop. I think that healthcare is too expensive, but the only thing anybody ever looks at in that argument is "insurance", not reduction in cost by competitive business. I am able to face facts though, by the end of this year America will have socialized medicine, we already have socialized banks, and now a car company. I still have to keep reminding myself we are a socialist nation now, not a capitalist, I guess now everyone knows what the "Change" voted in was. We'll soon see how the socialist experiment plays out, I am sure it will be better then all the failures of socialism in other countrys, or I can hope so anyway, but I guess we already voted for hope, so I have nothing left.

I have heard the decision of which plant will get to build the small car depends on which state will bring the most electoral votes for Obama in next election.

Wow Red - you can't possibly believe that Chevys are really affordable now. The absurd initial cost of GM vehicles is their downfall. Fix that problem and GM might suceed - otherwise it's going to fail no matter what vehicle they produce.

You gave GM a new contract to help them. You built GM a new road to help them. Just think how you are going to help them now. As they reopen some other plant.

To Zoom: The union wages are not GM's big problem. The obscene and ever rising cost of providing top notch healthcare for almost a half-million retirees adds (I'm told) $350.00 plus dollars to the cost of every vehicle sold. Once affordable but now out-of-control healthcare costs are bankrupting both corporations and individuals. Once healthcare costs are brought under control and made reasonable again for everyone, then companies will begin hiring full-time workers. (not part-time with no benefits.) GM can no longer afford to write blank checks for prescriptions, knee replacements, bypass surgery and on and on. Why does the same prescription from the same pharmaceutical company cost $39.00 in Canada and $420.00 bucks in the U.S. Because Uncle Sam, GM and insurance companies have been writing blank checks. I recently took a list of Wal-Mart’s $4.00 prescriptions to my Dr. and asked him to change all my high priced prescriptions to those true and tried pharmaceuticals that are only going to cost me $4.00 a month instead of hundreds of dollars a month. A fraction of us can afford to go out and buy a Rolls Royce. The reality for most of us is that we can afford what is reliable and fits into our budget - like a Chevy or Ford or Chrysler. The time is quickly coming when none of us or our insurers or even Medicare will be able to afford the Rolls Royce prices charged by the current healthcare system. Fix healthcare and you fix the unemployment dilemma.

As to union wages being a small percentage of the cost to build a vehicle, there may be some parsing of terms here. The cost of the actual labor used to build a vehicle is only part of the total cost of labor.

I read that although Penske bought Saturn, GM was still going to manufacture the cars. Chances are that means that they are using the sale to manufacture the cars outside the US without taking the heat for moving the car line out of the country, but if they are going to manufacture in the US, then the Spring Hill plant would seem to be an obvious choice for building the Saturns.

The fact that Obama visited the Janesville plant and that Janesville is almost in Obama's home state of Illinois (only 20 miles from the Illinois border) might help. I think Obama made a personal connection to the Janesville workforce during his campaign visit. I wonder if the Casinos will take bets on which plant might reopen. I'd bet a dollor on the Janesville plant.

I hate to be the negative one. My family was three generations deep at that plant. I just think Janesville is getting used to strong arm the other unions into the new "style" of contract. Once they agree, and change their bargaining agreement... I am afraid GM will cut bait.
This artice even admits that the UAW 95 contract is a "carrot" for Orion. It is cruel to continue to juggle the emotions of good hard working people! I wish it were not true, but it smells pretty fishy.
My prayers are for all the Janesville workers who are struggling.

It is my opinion that the plant will go to whomever can sway the Car Czar, or Obama and Administration to use. Remember that GM is no longer a private company, but government owned. It's possible that Doyle may have some clout with Obama to try and get Janesville to be the plant.

The Janesville plant has an excellent chance of producing these small cars. Some people under estimate the positive influence that Gov. Jim Doyle has in this matter.

I find it ironic that some GM'ers have said the Union wages are a small percentage of the cost to build a vehicle, so they shouldn't take any blame for GM's downfall, yet now are hanging their hat on the favorable union contract to attract the new product here. If the Union wages weren't a high cost for GM, how are lower wages going to overcome the shortcomings of the Janesville plant, compared to Spring Hill and Orion?

PLEEEEEEEASE! Stop all these speculation articles! If it happens, GREAT; if not, let it go!!! This series is nothing but a nonsense tease, and it's cruel to those who are waiting to hear. When there IS news, report it. When it's filler, find another STORY!!!

From what I have heard, GM is going to convert Spring Hill back to build Saturns to fill Penske's needs. Leaving Janesville as the plant to build the new small car.

for now it has been said Penske is going to try to contract thru GM to build the product in the exsisting facilities. Penske has said he would like to do that for a 1-2 yrs. beyond that he doesn;t know.

Penske has clearly outlined his strategy which is largely built on rebranded imports. The only Saturn facilities in Spring Hill which are announced as part of the sale are a distribution and parts center.

I'm really hoping for Janesville :D

no rumors on these opinion sights.

saturn's have NOT been built there since 2007

Metro, you have no idea what you are talking about. Penske bought the Saturn line, not the plant. Don't spread rumors and lies. Spring Hill is still viable and has a workforce better able to handle building a small car than Orion or Janesville. However, the workforce would not be the sole factor for deciding on the new plant.

With the sale of SATURN to the PENSKE group announced, Spring Hill, TN is no longer on the list.