The place just requires too much work. This task force was doomed from the start. NOW with BK in their cross hairs, its even less likely, and just plain ridiculous to even entertain. Yes it sucks but what do you think is going to happen. I mean come on people, did you REALLY think it was going to be saved. NEXT, job bank and retirement benefits, all contracts gone, and the long time employees are going to take it right in the keester. Did you think they really cared. OF course not. Its corporate America, now lead by those you all chose to elect. Watch out the worse is yet to come.

OH yeah, it appears to be another case of politicians and self-designated community leaders trying to feed the citizens what they wanted to hear, rather than the truth, harsh as it may be. Or sadder yet, they actually believed they could pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Yea, people will always have hope, no matter how realistic it always was, is, and will be, people will always have hope. Get over GM. Lack of foresight on the part of a lot of people let to a lack of being able to keep lots of companies open and thriving. Different times, different circumstances, different businesses, different Jville.......

People will survive!

Woody
Get out of the woods, yes, Mike said he would try to get a new plant in Janesville. That was when we were selling cars and trucks in America.
In case you have not heard we are in a Global melt down. Nothing is selling. I said I would be at Janesville G.M. till I could retire. Things change.

You'd like to show me all around
Thank you girl but I know this town
It's alright, hey lawdy mama, it's alright
Don't you know they're all the same
Only difference is the name
It's alright, hey lawdy mama, it's alright
Three motels, dusty cars
A movie show and a dozen bars
It's alright, hey lawdy mama, it's alright

Happy2BAlive, glad there's somebody with sense around here. The task force had an uphill battle even before the economic crisis hit and GM's finances tumbled into oblivion. At this point we will be lucky to have a GM around to properly decommission the plant, let alone do any environmental cleanup. The company could easily be in liquidation bankruptcy in a matter of several weeks from now.
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Cullen had a good point, which was that they thought there was a gentleman's agreement to at least communicate with each other before the press, but Wagoner is probably very much in a mode right now where niceties don't matter much. The company is speeding toward a cliff without brakes.
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Obviously the US auto industry was woefully unprepared for this crisis, and recriminations are due all around for mismanagement of longstanding problems like too many brands or too many plants. But even Toyota is seeing sales in freefall, so it is not a uniquely American problem on the market side. This is a dramatic, global recession, and GM isn't the only company caught overextended.
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Anyway, I'm not sure what people think elected leaders are elected for. They obviously don't come out of the ballot box stamped with guarantees. This sort of task force is given a job to do, and they've done that, but they certainly can't force GM to do anything. Did they serve Wisconsin and especially Janesville well? You bet they did.
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I don't expect anyone here to eat crow, but a gracious thank you to Sheridan and Cullen is what they deserve.

More people should be like Happy2Balive! It is one thing to question whether or not the Task Force would accomplish what it wanted, yet another to criticize for trying. Without hope, no matter how unrealistic, people would just give up on life. All the self proclaimed prognosticators will beat their chests now, yet if something had happened to the contrary you would not have heard a peep out of these nutjobs. I thank those that tried, hope the best for those with tough decisions yet to be made, and hope those with the superiority complex learn how to be a human. And I give credit to Wagoner to at least give this information out, information that can help make decisions in this tough time.

Wow...you posters are brutal! Rather than being so sarcastic, maybe you should be thanking the task force for doing everything in their power (their free, volunteer time powers) to make sure the dance has really ended. Wagoner broke his word to the tune of more than 1300 jobs, walks away even if GM bankrupts with enough money to support his family and you're criticizing Tim Cullen and the task force? REALLY??
You are right in that we must move on, but I just ask that you leave your bad attitudes and baggage in your last negative posts and choose to become a part of the solution for our community to develop into something more wonderful and emergent. In other words, LEAD, FOLLOW ...or get out of the way!

Well I have to give the thumbs up to old Wagoner on this one. Rather than drag us though the old "hope" nonsense for another couple of years, he pretty much laid it right out there for us. Now the local and state political figure heads can't play mind games and buy time anymore. So we'll wait until the plant is officially done in April and get on GM's heels about selling it or letting us bulldoze it.

I have one question. Why is Rick Wagoner still running that company? He has done nothing for General Motors except sit back and watch it fall apart.

What did you expect from the like of Wagoner. He's no better than the execs at AIG.

We truely are led by idiots.

Face it, the task force was not to communicate through the press, but the same was not true for GM execs. Move on Janesville. It's over.

nowaydog: and they could build a tunnel to get to it. LOL

GOOD BY to the plant it is done over and it is time to move on OR HMMMMM should we still give hope for sheriden and the rest of the group to save the day, FALSE HOPE. and what happen to all the GM people that sed GM will not shut down we have a union and all that BS.HMMMM Dont here them saying to much know.MOVE ON and try to get a job dont worry about GM it is done.

This statement by Wagoner really cuts the political careers short for the "task force" people now doesn't it. Now they can't stretch out peoples hope to further their own gains like Sheridan did. Remember how Mike kept saying how he was going to get Janesville a new gm plant if he gets elected?

"We have a wealth of manufacturing space to refill and a ready and willing labor force."
Yeah, us and the entire United States...

"The sun'll come out Tomorrow, so you gotta hang on till tomorrow. Come what may. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, Tomorrow. You're only a day away."

Sadly this outcome was predictable from the beginning. Hopefully the "powers that be" have solid plans for leaning on GM to clean up the site for some kind of future use -- by someone. It's their property and should certainly be their problem, along with ours as the abandoned community.

The most terrifying thing about Janesville's unemployment situation is how open-ended and ongoing it is. Too many of our increasing numbers of lost manufacturing jobs aren't layoffs that will end when things pick up for the affected companies. These jobs are gone. We have a wealth of manufacturing space to refill and a ready and willing labor force. Those are great assets when times are conducive to business expansion, but that's far from the case right now. It's going to take a lot of time and effort to work through this into a new community identity, and we could be a smaller community before the process is finished. Our #1 need here is for sustainable, family-supporting employment. Everything we do has to center on this with the recognition that a lot of people are in financial peril. All the retraining efforts in the world won't help unless jobs are available.

Are you at all suprised that Generous motors will not be back in Janesville? These "politico's" were (are) chasing pipe dream's.get over it! Being laid off from a non auto entity has left me searching elsewhere (I was a CNC Machinist) Maybe now you EX GMers will realize how other segments of the workforce have struggled on $12.00 an hr. in a $25.00 an hr. society.

"Cullen says the jobs might not be GM jobs"; Do GM workers think that if something goes into the old plan that they would have priority with jobs. I would hope not and that any type of business that may go into the plant, anyone could apply for the jobs.

"Cullen says he heard about the statement through the media, which contradicts a previous agreement with the company. For nine months, GM has asked the task force to communicate directly with them rather than through the media."

Clearly shows what GM executives thought about the "task force" in the end, doesn't it? I never understood why people thought for a second GM would keep their oldest plant operational while teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

anybody ever thought of turning it into a super mega aquatic center- ice skating rink all in one

Hopefully the local UAW will now realize how much they can depend on GM, and move on.
They will see what everyone else, who is not GM, has seen for years..you are on your own, sadly for some it will be for the first time in their lives. That was the message.

Turn the old GM site into a "Super Max" prison...

Look Tim, Paul & Russ, is that a dinosaur crawling out of the Rock River? That's about as likely to happen as GM staying here.

"Tim Cullen, co-chair of the GM Retention Task Force, says he's surprised by Wagoner's comments to reporters."
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Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[aloud]
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!

64, right on

They can repoen it as a homeless shelter for when all the GM employees lose their houses and can't afford to do anything else since there are no jobs out there!

Are they really surprised or did they just pull their heads out of the sand? or have they finally realized that they have been in denial this whole time? Another good explain of not BEING proactive BUT being reactive. stupid politicians

Political posturing by this so called "task force". Give it up. The building is an environmental nightmare. Bulldoze it and be done already.

Surprised ?!? How could it be any more clear?