UPDATE: GM plant to close by 2010

BigCat~ I completely agree with you!! It will be hardest on those that don't get the GM benefits, but were tied to GM (Lear, LSI, trucking companies, etc) Best of luck to everyone!

JVLforNOW good ideas! I guess I would wonder what the possibilities of keeping a plant to manufacture something else would be as well. A wealthy visionary is what this town needs now, someone who could take advantage of this opportunity. This town has the muscle to get work done, so the question is, who or what needs to be manufactured on a LARGE scale??

momof1 - you r absolutely corect in saying that the GM worker will get the benifits they need to land on there feet. It really is not the GM worker that will have the greatest effect on the Janesville economy. It is all folks that work for other local companies that supply GM that will have the impact! These folks won't get the same support no matter how much the Govenor or Local 95 promises. These folks will do what ever they have to to support their families. They will feel cheated (rightfully so) and will carry a chip on their shoulder for quite some time. These folks didn't make the high dollar wage that the GM worker did...for most it was alot less. They to will lose their health care benefits and will have to find a way to make ends meet the best way they can. These folks won't get the oppurnity to re-school themselves...instead they will compete for a job with people who already are unemployed or working for a temp agency for even less than they make now and probably with no hope of getting benefits!

We all will be effected in 1 way or another...if you don't think so then you better buy bullet proof glass for your glass house so it don't break when it does affect your life. Will things get better...Absolutely but it will take some time and alot of work!

57Steve...My point wasn't whether they're called tax breaks or subsidies, it's the same no matter what you call them. My point is that the American people deserve to know what went on during the Energy Task Force meetings Cheney held. I find it more than just a coincidence that the rise in energy costs, coincide with the Bush/Cheney regime. Cheney's lame excuse that as President of the Senate, and therefore part of the Legislative Branch, he doesn't have to bow to Congressional oversight is pure BS. He can not be President of the Senate unless he is first and foremost a part of the Executive Branch. Having said that, the oil subsidies have to end.

deltafox5674,
The Supreme Court does not set energy policy. I repeat, no one is blameless concerning the oil situation. Partisan rhetoric? Or facts?
And thank you for your service.

gstrube,
HR 5234 was introduced on April 27, 2006. Why wasn't it reintroduced when the dems took over Congress? If you read the bill, and if you look at Congressman Larsons web site concerning the bill, you will see that it does indeed repeal tax breaks for exploration. So you are saying we shouldn't explore for more oil? Or are you saying we should just make it harder to get oil?
That is my point. Can you say $5 a gallon?
Congresspeople can name any bill anything they want. Calling something a subsidy does not make it a subsidy. When Obama & the dem Congress raise your taxes they could call it "The Feel Good Fair Tax Act of 2008". I guarantee you won't feel good about it.

mk1009nes, pot-kettle..."Your right about no jobs in Janesville..." should have been "you're", but who's counting? Aren't there more important things to worry about in life than criticizing your neighbor for the most insignificant things?

I have an opinion about GM, too..

I am very sorry for all who will be losing their jobs that work for or supply to GM. I would never want this to happen to anyone, and I truly believe that when God closes a door, somehow He opens a window.

I hope all of you are given adequate choices and that you can make decisions that will leave you better off in the long run. I also pray that you will be able to find some peace. If you do not stay in Janesville, I hope you find a location where you are near friends, family and loved ones.

The bottom line is that the senior Bush was among those who got the ball rolling, not Bill Clinton. Don't lay his failure to get it through at the feet of Clinton.

Fattigman,
Corporations can't have sympathy any more than that computer you're looking at. Reports of profits can't be exaggerated or people go to jail (Enron). ExxonMobil made $40 billion dollars in a quarter, a lot of money. But they had earnings of $400 billion. 10% margin. Excessive? Executive compensation is another story, but what is the solution, government intervention? My plumber makes $40 an hour, I think that's too much & Doyle should cap that at $25/hr. When pristine Alaskan ice is drilled who knows where prices go, but it will reduce upward pressure.
It really is my money in my 401k, if I choose to invest it there. 60% of Americans also do the same.

I agree that is a very good idea. lets do it. that is the best idea I have heard. you are onto something chain. 

Ok everyone I got a solution!! When the plant closes take all the employees and have them work along with a construction company and level the place. Get Our beloved govenor involved and get some super fund money from the Federal level and clean up all the contamination in the area. Next we build a super max prison. we can use the employees as construction workers and they can still be union workers and work at building their future. After it is built they can then switch job functions and help run the prison. The state has very good benifits and insurance. and they pay pretty good too. Seems to be so many people commiting crimes these days that this would insure jobs staying in Janesville. also when people come to Janesville to see their convicted relitives they would stay at motels and eat in resturants here in town thus reducing the trickle down effect of the plant closing.

Mruglyhands, not to get off the subject but I have been down there in the park begging for donations for the fireworks right along side of you. you know that I have donated many days of my life trying to give back to this great city of ours and looking back I don't regret a minute of it but it will be nice to go and do things down there as a citizen and not have to stoop so low as to beg for donations and explain that the city does not do the fireworks, the Jaycees do. but that might be in trouble this year from what i have heard. So I will go down there with my fiance' and my family and hopefully enjoy the day in the park and not worry about it. I have done my time and I might come back and help, but not like I have in the past.

Wow... all i can say. Knew it was coming, but figured it would just be a few year shut down for retooling for the new generation of cars/trucks. I have relatives and many friends that work there, and feel the pain. There will be hard times to come... no matter what way you look at it!

hmmmm primetime pizza??? sounds good to me.
the writing was on the wall many years ago for the plant. when they were told about going to one shift and had so many days to take the buy out that was so clear that this was going to happen. i told several people that the plant
would be close whithin 2 years. gee maybe i should quit my job and become a fortune teller.

mruglyhands,
Your last post was one of the few of yours that I agree with. The Fed Reserve needs to change and our political party system does too. Change needs to happen and it will eventually. Thats what happens.

Crap...now that GM is closing Screamin' Meemies will never open back up! :(

Seriously though, I feel for all of the employees and their families for this loss. Yes this is a great loss for Janesville, but not the end of the world. There are other large employers in Janesville. Someone mentioned Mercy, but what about Lab Safety Supply? They employee a large group of people in both their administrative building and warehouse. Plus, people are still commuting to Madison as well from Janesville, since the Madison housing market is insane.

opps my mistake it was primetime pizza that Gm bashed no wonder I don't like GM products I knew they would be closing there doors glad I am not like GM.

chemical 6~
Well said my friend! Everyone is pointing fingers and passing blame these days. People want someone to blame....look in the mirror!
Nothing is guaranteed in life! You have to go out and get it. People can blame the president, the government, the union etc. but the bottom line is, these people with no sense of honor or duty and integrity that are running this country into the ground are being put into these positions of power ON OUR WATCH! People are okay when everything is status quo for them, but, when it affects them, all of the sudden it's an issue! Dig the well before you're thirsty! We don't have honest leadership to take us into the future! We have a generation of couch potatoes raising the next generation of tater tots! Wake up people! We need to change! We need to stop allowing the govt. to come to the rescue and make it happen ourselves. WE THE PEOPLE! That's the way this country was designed. Start reading your history instead of going by the garbage our schools are teaching and the manipulating media that's in our midst 24/7!

Has anyone heard what Zachow's will do? And when the Union Hall is sold, who gets the money? Plus, is Prime Time Pizza expected to give free food to the workers?

Hey mruglyhands I know who you really are I guess you can't figure who this is haha no hints either I will tell you one thing GM products I don't buy besides I haven't liked GM since they started bashing Jim's Pizza

To 'deltafox'...And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon....There is NOTHING that supports your claim.

Both republicans and democrats are at fault for our economy- I think it's been a joint effort. All the bickering and separation should stop long enough to get our country back on track.

correction...FIRST shift was gone two weeks later. Sorry for my error.

I am sorry for all those affected by local plant closings and layoffs. I sympathize; I lost my job many years ago. I was given 2 days notice and severance for 2 weeks; the entire second shift was gone and second shift was gone 2 weeks later. I wish I would have had 18 months to prepare. But my parent's taught me a valuable life lesson earlier in life...plan for a rainy day. And guess what?...it rained today; pardon the pun. Everyone is pointing fingers at who's to blame. Has anyone mentioned the UAW who drove up labor rates to a point that made it difficult for the Big 3 to remain competitive? It's just a thought. I have seen it from both sides. There are a host of other players: GM's product offering, oil prices, NAFTA, etc. When I first moved to the area, I heard people refer to GM as Generous Motors. I asked why...the answer was the folks there were paid generously. At the old union job I mentioned earlier, they taught me one that I would like to forget...greed. It was take care of your own and screw the company. But guess who writes the checks? There are two sides to every story; this was mine. Thanks for listening.

OK all you folks back to work...get off the net...we have SUV's to build!

57Steve...HR 5234 Oil Subsidy Elimination Act of 2006

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc109/h5...

If Bush and Cheney have nothing to hide, then open the Energy Task Force agenda for the public's scrutiny. Let everyone see what the details were.

Sorry, my bad.

Did GM support this community? Did the community support GM? Did the workers support local businesses? Did they only support union stores and union made products? Have we put shoe companies etc out of business by buying chinese? When is the last time you purchased american made clothes or shoes? do we need to monitor our imports? Look at the toy industry and lead levels. who can control this...the consumer. think about it

Ummm, Deltafox, I was being sarcastic.

Too bad we couldn't bottle all of the anger and hostility here. We'd have enough energy to keep the plant going for another 90 years.

People just have to deal with it. It's going to happen whether Janesville likes it or not. It's gonna suck for a while but just move on. Find something else to do. If you don't then you will be poor and living out of your broken down Tahoe. Otherwise, just move on, find another job and get on with your life. Janesville is not going to "die", it might suffer for a while, but there are well over 60,000 people living in Janesville and only 2,700 people working at the plant, some of which don't even live in Janesville. It's going to be hard on people, but if you know that it's going to close, budget your money and find an alternate job... it's not the end of the world. You should be happy that you are alive and have had the opportunity and freedom to work. Some people in this world have no idea how good they really have it even when times seem like they are SO bad.
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My point... live, learn and love... Live in the now, learn to be proactive, and love life... it's the only one we've got

The members of the local GM group and local 95 should consider the same approach many others have in simular situations. Become employee owned...if the closing of the facility is as detrimental to the local economy as it is being percieved within these comments, maybe the city of Janesville should invest a bit of capital and do short term funding of it.
If this approach is taken, you may want to do a retool to a product that average working Joes can afford and will actually purchase. There is an opportunity for someone to make a difference. Get off the net and call your city manager and union reps to sponsor this program.

"The liberals, hippy tree huggers, America haters and Obama-types are directly responsible for our economic downturn in the past years. The left-wing America haters have been running this country for so long that the results are clear."
Where in the heck have you been in the last 8 years? Who has been running the show? For the last six years, who has held the majority in both Houses? Your comments are baseless and unjustified.

"As for who was in charge of Congress for 12 years, touche. I recall there was a democrat with veto (and briefly line-item veto) power in the Presidency for 6 of those years. No one is blameless"
Yeah, and six years after that you had a Republican President, Republican Congress, Republican Senate, and the last two years of that stretch, a Republican Supreme Court, and they FAILED to get an effective energy policy. So lets do the math...who was in charge more? Republicans! Check your facts before you go spewing partisan rhetoric please.

RuNuts has it right. Honda, Toyota and Nissan seem to holding their own, domestically producing most of their vehicles sold in north America, even while the economy falters and vehicle sales slow. They have vision that GM lacks.

Give me a break, Do you remeber the Clinton years? Peace, Prosperity,Interns! Those were the days! Zero budget Deficit. Bush and his ignorance have endangered all we know and our grandchildrens futures as well.GM is just as arrogant as Bush and now will suffer the consequences.

57Steve - You're absolutely right about the oil companies. They would never try to maximize profits at taxpayers' expense. Elected officials will only make gas prices higher by meddling! Corporations have great sympathy for the average payer at the pump.
If there are excesses, they will police their own industry just fine--they don't need government meddling in our competitive free markets. The reports of record oil profits are just exaggerated. Their executives lead spartan lifestyles, and donate much of their modest salaries to further exploration and drilling, for a brighter tomorrow. When we finally drill in pristine Alaskan forests, gas prices will go down to pre-Bush II administration levels. How dare unions negotiate starting salaries of $14.00/hour? No wonder business can't turn a profit in this country.Don't complain about oil company profits because it's really your money in the form of 401ks. The liberals, hippy tree huggers, America haters and Obama-types are directly responsible for our economic downturn in the past years. The left-wing America haters have been running this country for so long that the results are clear. Go McCain! Bring back the '50s!

I agree to an extent that the government is to blame, WE AS CONSUMERS ARE TO BLAME ALSO.

You can't tell me that the auto industry can't build a more efficient automobile that consumes something other than gasoline but we can put a man on the moon, I'm not buying it. It's all about the all mighty dollar and sooner or later the dollar is going to be worthless.

We as consumers have to take a stand a demand that something be done. Leaving Beloit was the best decision I could have made, now I'm in a larger city where I can leave my BIG SUV (yes, I too blame also) in the garage and take public transportation.

So, I hope Janesville/Beloit does recover and to all that will be/are affected, keep your heads up and God Bless.

Let me throw in someone to blame here - The Federal Reserve - Yeah - Since U.S. currency is based on nothing and they've printed so much of it that it's worth less than half what it was 20 years ago overseas; other countries don't want it or if you have to buy with it, they want more of it. That fed keeps on a printing and the value of our dollar keeps on a dropping but nobody is getting a raise because companies are seeing a slump in sales because we're all broke from the gas pumps. So now GM's firing folks just to survive. The U.S. Treasury should confiscate the Federal Reserve and it's assets and bring Bernanke and his clan out to the stocks. If our dollar held its value - then gas would be a buck a gallon and we'd all be driving Janesville Suburbans.

What a shame, but this was long coming.

There is no one in our govermembt not at fault. If the dems were in the white hose we would blame them. The problem has been around my entire life. How every one forgets the gas shortages in the 70s. I was only a small child but remeber. We as a country then needed to do more to solve our energy independece but nothing. Neiter the Democrats or the Republicans. Neither side will work with the other to get any thing done. Both want the credit to make themselves look good. That is all that matters to me. I say to Paul Ryan step up now. This is your home town. Not Washinton. I say the same to Herb Kohl and the other wack job in the senate work with the oter party and do whats best for this state and country.

Very sad day for all of us Janesvillians, my prayers to families

57Steve: You are about the only one here who is on the right track. It is our energy policy, or lack of one, that has gotten us into this mess. If we do not start on all tracks right now this problem will not go away. However, each and every time a comprehensive energy plan is introduced in congress, or even parts of one, the greens shoot it done with the support of your elected senators.

Having many friends who work at GM, I am sad for them. However, the times we're in now differ greatly from the 20th century depression era. All of these employees will be considered displaced workers when the doors close. Displaced workers have many opportunities from which to benefit, if they so choose. There is no reason why they can't take advantage of the free schooling that will be offered to them and learn a new trade. Everyone (kids and adults) need to start looking at what professions will be around until the day they die (computer techs, robotic machinery, plumbing, electricians, etc) and choose from there. We all know unskilled labor is being farmed out of the country so why not look to either a professional career or a skilled trade? We will all survive just fine, as long as people don't panic an think so negatively about everything. If you want a decent future, you have to make it...it won't just happen to you.

gstrube,
The oil companies get tax subsidies? I think you mean tax breaks for exploration, mainly in the Gulf of Mexico. If there were less exploration the price of gas would be even higher than it is now. The reality is corporations don't pay taxes, people do. When a company is taxed that cost is passed on to the consumer. Where else would the money come from? There should be no corporate taxes, they are just hidden taxes on you, embedded in the price of whatever you are purchasing.
A profit of 7% (oil industry average) does not seem outrageous to me. Is it to you? Last year Chevron-Texaco reinvested ALL of it's profits. ExxonMobil paid more in Federal taxes than it made in American profit.
So how does the oil companies making profit cost American jobs? Please try to enlighten me again.

The real cause of the GM plant closing is GM's failure to react over the years. The Japanese have shown that they have more foresight and business sense than our American leaders and engineers. We all made fun of them in the 1960's and 70's visiting our country with their cameras taking pictures of how we did things, but now they have done what GM should have been doing all along (researching what America needs and produce it efficiently and with fuel economy in mind). This is a global economy...has been for at least two decades. Wake up call for General Motors. A bit too late I'm afraid. By the way, aprox. 15,000 people leave Janesville everyday to work elsewhere. 2400 jobs and the the associated businesses 1000 jobs will give Janesville a pinch, but Janesville will survive. Re-education is the key.Madison, Rockford, and other cities have plenty of jobs if you have a marketable skill. Karma has a bitter taste

gstrube is right about energy it all the Presidents fault, because it has nothing to do with INDIA and CHINA and there increase consumption of fuel. To think that would be just plain dumb.

Ilovehockey – I will answer your question.

It does affect them, maybe not directly today but GM employees buy their products and the affects of GM closing could very well reduce future wages of those and all companies within a large area around Janesville. Do you think for a minute those companies pay what they do because GM didn’t affect them? Of course it did because even though GM might have been slow there was always the threat those companies might lose a valuable employee to GM for better wages.

Yes it is the gas prices. Trucks take a lot of gas. When the price of gas is high trucks don't sell.
Drilling for oil in America does not just mean ANWR. It means off the east coast, the west coast, Florida (where China & Cuba are already drilling), the oil sands out west, the oil shale, everywhere. It is said drilling in ANWR won't help, but what would it hurt? If they started drilling up there 10 years ago, would that have helped?
As for who was in charge of Congress for 12 years, touche. I recall there was a democrat with veto (and briefly line-item veto) power in the Presidency for 6 of those years. No one is blameless. 2 years ago the dems came in saying they would lower gas prices, they had a plan. It was $2.50 a gallon then. Now they say we need a little more time. Well, time just ran out for Janesville.
So we don't have the refineries to process more oil. Maybe we should build some. In the mean time you must be willing to pay $10 or $12 a gallon or whatever Chavez & the Arabs want because we don't have enough oil or refineries.
When the economy suffers everyone suffers, and the poorer you are the more you suffer. And it has a domino effect.
I am for all energy ideas. Wind, solar, coal liquification, nuclear, hydro, thermo, anything else I forgot and drilling for gas & oil. Here & now. Time is running out very quickly; how many more Janesvilles will it take before we get moving?

It's amazing to see all the so called "experts" come out of the woodwork who've never worked a day in the GM plant. They've not stood in the shoes of someone who actually does work there. I chose to leave there over a year ago thanks to a better opportunity that I was blessed enough to have come to my attention. When I left the plant, my thinking was all about me and what's in it for me. Now, through different thinking, my heart aches for these people. My heart aches for anyone who's livlihoods are on the line. It's time for communities to pull together and make a difference rather than ridicule others without knowing what they're going through. I for one, will pray for these people and I wish everyone the best and God's blessings during these transitional times. Everyone can and will get through this. Don't let GM or anyone or thing else dictate your future. Take it upon yourself to make it happen. YOU CAN DO IT! God bless everyone~ Kleej

The history I remember is that the union here DID agree to concessions, and with ways to 'help' management. The thing I don't get, though, is how people are so quick to argue AGAINST well paying jobs, with great benefits. Like somehow, wanting that is a sin, and people should feel guilty for having them in 'today's economy'. Look around Janesville, and see what well paying jobs have fostered--and I don't even live there. Great parks, some beautiful houses, some wonderful recreation facilities. Or are you saying that we should fight for low wages, poor benefits and row houses?

SK - it is nothing personal with MOMOMF1 - the point was that for those who post that GM has no impact on their jobs, their employers, etc, it is simply wrong. And I was proving it wrong.
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Staff was correct to remove the posts. THey left the immediate topic.

I think that we will see a lot of changes over the next 3-5 years for Janesville, and most for the good! I didn't grow up here, and don't get the whole without GM there would be no Janesville mentality. That being said, there will be a lot of positive changes coming soon. Everyone has to remember to keep their minds open and change will come alot easier!

momof1 - nothing subliminal, just a typo. But perhaps with the staff removing our posts, we will spark a 1st Amendment thread!
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good debating you.

Long_Time_Gone: I really don't want to get in the middle of what personal argument/grudge you have against momf1. However, I feel I need to speak up.
How do your current postings have anything to do with the topic?
Why are you so affixed on where this person works?
Get over it.
Maybe you should say where you work.

Oh c'mon now, staff is getting a bit crazy with the delete button.

57Steve...How about Cheney's secretive Energy Task Force. Look where energy prices have gone since Bush took office. And why can't the public know about the meetings that took place. This Adminstration (and I use the term loosely) has sympathized with the oil companies, and continues to subsidize them with our tax dollars even though they made billions of dollars in profits at the expense of many American jobs.

Whether you are or are not connected to GM doesn't really matter. Whether you think GM workers were overpaid and under worked doesn't matter. These are people with families to feed. Have a little compassion. We have no clue what will happen to Janesville, we do know however that these people now have to uproot their lives. Rather than sit and criticize how much they make to "do nothing" or brag about how much you make and how you "work harder" than GM workers, why not thank god you still have your job and come together as a community in a hard time.

Anyone could have seen this coming. Between the UAW & NAFTA GM's days were numbered. Actually I give the Union most of the credit for shutting them down. The problem was there before NAFTA, but NAFTA pushed them over the edge. You can not expect to pay unskilled workers the kind of hourly wage + Benefits GM does, in todays economy & expect to survive (its fantasy). I knew it, everyone i talked to knew it, & I can't believe no one figured it out at the UAW. But they kept striking, & now they have put several thousand men & women out of work. The day of the Union is past. Woodman's employees figured it out & because of it, they're jobs will be here for some time to come. GM employees unfortunately weren't willing to look at the big picture.. Look to the future... theres enough blame to go around, but the UAW (IMO)gets 80% of it. GM employees get 15%, & NAFTA, 5%.

longtimegone~ I will, thanks for your well wishes!!!

mofo - "don't doubt that there will be people that think they can have my job. Guess what? Not gonna happen. No one is invinciable, that I understand as well. However I have doubts on GM line workers being able to perform my job."
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I have doubts to what you actually do. Since you fail to see the impact of GM on Janesville, I have serious doubts you are something a GM laborer could not train-up to one day take your job...
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But keep thinking yourself secure.

Playing the blame game? One of the saddest things about these closures is that the CEOs who are doing this to their loyal, VERY hardworking and much deserving employees will now probably see multi-million dollar bonuses for their business acumen when, in reality, it was THEIR disasterous decisions over the past couple decades that gave short-term profits priority over all other logic in environmental and market trends.

Hmn, No drilling in ANWR, or off any of our coasts. No refineries allowed to be built for 30 years. No nuclear reactors allowed, no drilling in Colorado, Utah, Montana where there are millions of barrels of reserve oil. I wonder which political party supported by the greenies has caused this? Oh the party of GM thats who.

my bad justsaynotomath

LongTimeGone~ not arguing that it will not affect the economy. I don't doubt that there will be people that think they can have my job. Guess what? Not gonna happen. No one is invinciable, that I understand as well. However I have doubts on GM line workers being able to perform my job.
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Like I said earlier, there will be a severance package for these employees of GM. Life will go on, it may not be as easy as before, but guess what, it is that way across the country. Hopefully more saved than didn't!!

Didn't management agree to all those supposed 'demands' of the union? Whatever crapola schwoogie raises is missing the point: Management agreed to certain terms, because they felt it was in the Company's best interests to do so. They AGREED! There is no way you can lay this solely at the feet of the Union. (Disclosure: Neither I, nor any of my family, have ANY connection to G.M., or any auto company)

hockeyluva - GM Dollars coming out of the community creates a vaccuum. That money will not be available to circulate in the local or national economy anymore. This absense of dollars will translate into a an absense of sales which will result in the laying off of other workers and then the closure of other businesses. That's WHY.

This isn't doom and gloom - it's proven economics.

mruglyhands did indeed answer your post.
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Sometimes when insulting, degrading comments are posted by mofo, SK, schwoogie, and ilovehockey, equally insulting comments are used to retort.
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I retract calling someone stupid, but stupid talk remains, and it emmanates from someone, who may be simply exposing their stupid side.

mk1009mes, so your a grammar nazi but you can't read. i said "everyone i know" not me and "us" is educated in general.

I understand GM is important to many people but think about the other plant on that street that is closing in SEPTEMBER!!! the old Gilman and they didn't make anyting close to what GM workers made and a majority of them aren't nearly as bitter as the GM works seem to be.....not all GM workers but a good portion that I have heard and seen.

mruglyhands, no need to attack me personally, I brought up a valid point, which by the way, you still didn't answer.

"For all those thinking the workers themselves caused this, it's just not true." No they did not 100% cause it, but they are definitely a factor. The price of gas is not the reason either. There are too many reasons why this is happening to just say this did or that did.

ilovehockey & mofo -- here's a small example;
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Those "unaffected" businesses you mentioned are indeed impacted. With 2,800 GM workers on the streets and in the job pool, don't think for a minute that management at other plants are not aware of their options.
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If employees want cost-of-living adjustments, improved benefits, whatever, management hardly has a local labor shortage - you are replaceable.
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Mind you, this is not a prediction, but rather than having 5 people lined-up behind you wanting your work station, you now have 50, and management has no incentive to improve your conditions for fear of you quitting.

Long_Time_Gone; Lemans Corp., Blains Corp., Prent, Freedom Graphics, Scot Forge, United Alloy, Freedom Plastics, Fairbanks Morse Engine, Landis Gardner, ABC, North American Tool, Bremner, Purpac, Tyson, Spacesaver, Nelson Truss, Genencor, Durst, McCain, Lab Safety, Husco, Birds Eye, Hufcor, A&M Mailing, Greentek, Generac, Pentair, Nasco, BMG Foods, Axium Foods, Honeywell, Hormel, Frito Lay, Greenco...and many more.

Need I go on? Am I, or what I say still "stupid"?

Schwoogie, very funny!

Darius, congrats to you. Too bad more of your former co-workers will not enjoy the same ending.

SK, good points. I think all employees of GM are capable of adapting, but what scares so many of them is the lack of reality in their perception of how life works outside GM. They will be the ones that cause a spike in suicides & crime, lap up the gov. assistance, and whine when unemployment runs out. Like our ancestors did, those that want to survive will adapt. That could mean additional schooling, relocation, or a entirely new career path.

momof1 and hockeypud - the multiplying effect of the dollar. Molly GM worker get's a dollar pay from GM and she gives it to Johnnie gas station attendant, Johnnie uses it to pay his supplier Rudy trucker, who takes a portion to give to the supplier Renee the refiner worker, and she then gives some of that to Jack the Texas oil man. That dollar that Molly got from GM went a long way didn't it? Well take away all of Molly's dollars and all the other GM workers dollars and pretty soon Johnnie is going to be laid off and then Rudy won't have anyone to deliver to, and Renee will have to skip her raise this year and not buy Christmas presents for little Dicky and Jane. Jack doesn't really care because he can just ship his oil to China.

GM Closing will affect (in a negative way) all of us who live in or near Janesville.

NVgrf-

Hate to break it to you, but NAFTA is a result of William Clinton, sort of. Yes it was originally proposed(and signed) by George the first(along with the leaders of Canada and Mexico), but he wasn't able to get it passed by Congress due to some serious opposition by all three countires. It was Clinton that pushed for it and got it passed, although he kept the original agreement relatively intact and only added the NAAEC and the NAALC. This makes William Jefferson Clinton the man who gets the credit for making NAFTA official.

So it appears that your so-called "remedial" History classes in Janesville only give you part of the story...

momof1, SK, - think about what you are saying, do you really believe your job is secure? This plant closing may not affect your job today as you know it but it is this type of economic decisions being made behind closed doors that could shutter you’re place of employment for cheaper over seas labor or make your job obsolete.

I See Ghost people

Zoom where did you come up with those figures? How much do you think labor costs per car? Figure in wages and benefits and the number of employees to make one car.

Ilovehockey- maybe you should post that on the article about GM closing too. I would love to hear about how GM closing affects those businesses!

momof1, I agree, but let those out there who think that it does explaine WHY they think that.

SK,
Labor is only about 17% of the cost of the vehicle. Most manufacturing is around 10% to 15%. Did you know that the cost of steel has almost doubled in less than a year? The problem is GM's slow response years ago to the changing economy.

schwoogie ~ AMEN !!

momof1 ~ You are absolutely correct.

Long_Time_Gone - Janesville has never had a true philanthropist or leader like Ken Hendricks was to Beloit, there are plenty who have contributed a great deal but not one to that extent.

mruglyhands-
I'll get right on that, just let me look them up in my rolodex

Someone should call Tesla Motors and tell them we've got a plant available to build their electric cars!

Ilovehockey ~ It does not affect them, just like it doesn't affect other major industries in Janesville.

too funny schwoogie...lol

SK~
NOT THIS FORMER GM EMPLOYEE! DEC. '06 I was liberated! I'm doing just fine. Others will too if they choose to. It's a mindset.

Okay, so let's open the discussion. How does this effect company's such as Lab Safety, Huffcor, Prent or Lemans?

SK - "I work in Janesville at a company that will not be effected at all by the closing of GM (I will not say where). Someone else said it & I agree ~ GM is not the center of the universe."
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And to you too SK, I slap you with a white glove across your cheek. GM does indeed affect your company -- liar liar pants on fire.

JimP - where are the Ryans, the Kennedys, the Steils, the Fitzgeralds, the Kimballs, the Cullens - Beloit never had such a group of business leaders - until Janesville drove Ken Hendricks to Beloit.
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My point is, where are the new leaders of Janesville? My guess is the above families all live in AZ by now.

mruglyhands: doom and gloom are an option if that is the way you want to live. That is perfectly fine with me. However, I choose a more positive outlook. No my job has nothing to do with GM. I work in Janesville, but what I do involves another part of the country completely, as does most everyone I work with. There is more out there and more to life than Janesville WI.

GM employee's are going to find it very difficult to find another job paying them the same wage & the same benefits to do a job like putting lugnuts on an SUV all day.
The high price of vehicles is because of the crazy amount these employees are paid. The only people that can afford these new cars is the GM workers.
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And when I go to the pharmacy & the doctor and have a high co-pay and see a GM working ahead of me paying a mere $2 for their co-pay amount it sickens me.
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They will learn very quickly to live like the rest of us. No more 3 brand new vehicles in front of their big fancy homes parked next to their boat & other toys.
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A buyout. A fancy GM term for what the rest of the world knows as laid off or fired. We don't have these luxuries.
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I work in Janesville at a company that will not be effected at all by the closing of GM (I will not say where).
Someone else said it & I agree ~ GM is not the center of the universe.

Rocky - very good points, but, if you read below, there are some here who will not support doing what needs to be done to attract such high-tech, bio-industry businesses.
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Heck, some here want their money back for building an access road to the plant. How is that a winning attitude for turning Janesville around?

Long_Time_Gone - I do indeed and if our Country's Legislative Bodies and Company Executives had half the wisdom and forethought he had our country as a whole would be better for it.

Hey momof1 - Nothing wrong with doom & gloom. You said that you had a job that doesn't have anything to do with GM - that's why I said you needed a macroeconomics class. Nobody is immune - just naive.

It was George H.W.Bush who originally signed the NAFTA Agreement. There are remedial history classes available in the Janesville School District Summer School.

This is the train wreck we've seen coming for the past 20 years. Fortunately our economy has diversified in that time, but not nearly enough to absorb this loss and the collateral losses. My sympathies to all those directly effected.

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Janesville city leaders need to get to work NOW in an effort to re-define the community. We are so close to Madison - a huge resource for high tech jobs, biotechnology, and the service industries. We need to stop being just a "blue collar" town (even though that is something we've prided ourselves on for years) and attract the more educated, technology-centered young adults that will make this community grow again. We already have some pieces in place. Communities that make this transition succesfully tend to have strong support fot he arts and education. We need to up our support of both.

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So we can whine and complain and say how doomed we all are, or we can start re-defining Janesville. What do you choose?

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BTW - I'm cutting up my GM Credit Card today. Heck with 'em.

beachsexton - "but this is not the only engine running the greater Rock County area..."
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OK, here we go again with stupid talk.
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Name others?

JimP - You refer to Mr. Ken Hendricks. If only he was still with us. Janesville has no such person, or persons.
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Remember when the Gazette quoted Hendricks saying that if GM ever closed, he would buy the plant and bring new jobs to Janesville?

Can you say CLINTON-NAFTA?
YEAHHHHHHH

JVLforNOW, great idea to use the soon to be former GM plant location for a GM museum and fairgrounds. It would be a great place for the Beloit Snappers Stadium and a City of Janesville pool too. It is too bad so many people have to find other work, but this was not out of the blue. There has been talk of this for many years. Some have prepared, and some will find they should have better educated themselves, diversified their skill set, saved for a rainy day, and toned down their lifestyles. Some will find new jobs, some will relocate, and some will resort to the easy way out by feeding off the system. GM will have an effect on the economy, but this is not the only engine running the greater Rock County area. There are a lot of hard working employees of GM and it's subsidiaries that will be able to make the changes needed to find a new career path. They will be a welcome addition to area employers.

Can't say that this is a shock. Anyone had to see this coming as gas prices rose.
Long-term affect: Janesville is going to lose a major employer, and the lion's-share of workers will migrate.
Is this all that bad, though? A number of upper-middle class homes will be on the market; perhaps some culture (aside from the Armory) such as a music venue (aside from the Back Bar) might seep into the city along with a whole new citizenry who won't just fall back on a job at The Plant.
I know a few workers who took buyouts and will be affected by the closings. When I was 12 they told me "stay in school" don't work at The Plant. For years it was an attractive alternative, but now the city will be forced to take a long, hard, 100-year-look in the mirror and decide what the future will look like.
Good luck to those affected, hope you catch on somewhere.

tjncj Beloit might have been transformed but believe me the man who made that happen is sadly no longer here, so don’t depend on what you see today in Beloit to carry through tomorrow or next year. If it weren’t for his wisdom and generous giving it would still be Shutter Town, USA and just might have that distinction again.

I know as a server that my job will be affected by the closing of GM (either tipwise or the number of people that go out to eat); but I am young and in school for a very good paying job. Hopefully Blackhawk Tech will be adding additional spaces for the nursing program and radiography programs because they will be in even higher demand for people who want to make it. Education is going to be very important for these people who are used to their standard of living.

I am only guessing, but the plant, if ownership were transerred, would end-up being a Superfund site.
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Without the EPA forgiving liability, GM is stuck with it.

Hey mruglyhands: I don't need an economics class to know that we will survive. I am sure it will be rough for some, but not for all. The doom and gloom is purely pathetic. I for one choose a positive attitude.

JimP I absolutely agree with you, I was one of those told over and over that I was over qualified when trying to find a job closer to home so I could keep my hard earned dollars within my own community.

Tjncj, yes Beloit has those activities that come around for a month or two every year but where are the major job sources that will keep a decent family fed for the remainder of the year when the Snappers, Concerts in the Park, and Riverfest are over?????

Let me start by saying that I feel for those who will lose their job either directly at GM, one of its suppliers, or through the 'ripple effect'. That said, I believe Janesville will survive, perhaps even prosper in the long run. I moved to this area in 1999 from a city that lost two of its largest employers in the early '90s. For several years that area experienced financial hardships which eventually saw almost 15% of the population relocate. However, over time the town transformed itself first into a "bedroom-community" for the three surrounding larger cities (think Rockford, Madison, Milwaukee), then into a thriving service and recreational based economy and has now become a haven for hi-tech firms. While Janesville may suffer in the short term, I do not foresee the city's future as bleakly as many here do.

Hey momof1 - Take a macroeconomics class - We're all going to be affected by this and we'll adapt but it's going to suck for a while. Nobody is immune. If your job is completely reliant on international sales or something then your job might be o.k. but you're going to drive by the soup lines every day to get to it. If you call in sick their will be 20 ex-GMers standing in line to apply for your job.