Closing won't stop city's efforts
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Acting Janesville City Manager Jay Winzenz addresses the media along with council members during a press conference on the Janesville GM plant closing on Monday.
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Janesville City Council President Amy Loasching talks during a press conference on the closing of the Janesville GM plant.
JANESVILLE — The expected loss of high-paying General Motors jobs will have a dramatic effect on the community and will be mitigated only by other economic development initiatives or a GM decision to build something else here, city leaders said Monday.
"It makes me heartsick," council president Amy Loasching said at a city press conference hours after GM announced it will stop building full-size sport utility vehicles in Janesville on Dec. 23.
The upcoming job losses won't help Janesville area unemployment, which in August was 6.7 percent, the highest among Wisconsin's metro areas.
As a GM employee and United Auto Workers member, Loasching said she and her co-workers at the Janesville plant have seen GM's handwriting on the wall for months.
"We expected this as far back as June," she said. "It was just a matter of time."
Loasching estimated that the indefinite layoffs will affect about 2,500 workers at GM and local supplier companies Lear Corp. and LSI. Indirectly, the job losses could reach 4,000 to 6,000 people, she said.
That's on top of similar cuts earlier this year when GM cut its Janesville production from two shifts to one.
Loasching said she's hopeful that the General Motors Retention Task Force, a local coalition of industry, business and community leaders, will be successful in their efforts to convince GM to bring another product to Janesville.
But the cash-strapped automaker needs money to retool plants to build more fuel-efficient vehicles, she said. Even if Janesville is successful in landing a new product, workers will be laid off for quite some time, she said.
Acting City Manager Jay Winzenz said the city will continue with its economic development efforts that have landed three new employers in the last two months.
LiquiPur, Assembly & Test Worldwide and Cummins all recently announced they will open operations in Janesville.
"Economic development is an ongoing process," Winzenz said, adding that the city needs to continue to tell the story that Janesville "is a great place to do business."
That's important, Loasching said, because Janesville does not have enough jobs now to accommodate the displaced workers, let alone high-paying jobs.
Oct 15, 2008 at 12:33 p.m.
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Nice everyone is so worried about the almight GM Worker but what happens to people like me who worked at Lear an LSI or is the city state Gm an the union gonna screw us again?It seams to me were not going to recieve any help at all its almost like we dont count an were the back bone for GM with out us LEAR an LSI employees they dont get there parts and were being treated like second class citizens.
Oct 15, 2008 at 11:12 a.m.
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Check out what will hurt Janesville's future http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuSMS17shAc&feature=related it explain what Janesville's future employers will face.
Oct 14, 2008 at 6:25 p.m.
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Sorry guys but I am entering in my thoughts on topics in a clean respectable manor without degrading anyone so there should never be a problem with me.
Oct 14, 2008 at 2:14 p.m.
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I agree with janesvillian. Polert we get it. Do you really think you're changing anyones vote? At best you're redundant.
Oct 14, 2008 at 1:58 p.m.
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Long_Time_Gone, the city manager isn't even remotely granted the authority to force the plant out or make it a Superfund site. The city really won't have much in the way of input until a sale of the property. At that time I think it's a given that the city would make it a TIF and be in a position to influence the type of development that takes place.
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Yes, polert, we heard your concerns the first twenty times. Will you stop posting in every thread?
Oct 14, 2008 at 12:37 p.m.
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Obama has been very clear. His proposal ONLY raises taxes on individuals making $250,000/year or more. If that plumber is making a quarter of million dollars per year, he or she will be required to pay taxes at 1993 levels. If you yourself make that amount or higher, I would not recommend that you vote for Obama. Everyone else will receive a rebate under his proposal.
Oct 14, 2008 at 11:45 a.m.
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Under Obama I seen in a report from Ohio over the weekend in a meet/greet line a plumber/owner operator ask Obama why Obama wanted to raise the plumber's taxes. Obama replied to the plumber to spread the wealth. Which is taking from the hard working, and giving to the unwilling to work. Janesville will depend on new small businesses now GM is gone. Those are the same people Obama wants to tax more.
Oct 14, 2008 at 11:26 a.m.
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Time for the new city manager there to earn some early stripes.
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If that plant is still vacant come Dec 31, 2010, then time to force GM to tear it down and remediate the contamination, otherwise, slap GM with Superfund status.
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The location, with rail and highway, is just too valuable long-term, to allow GM to sit on it becasue doing that is cheaper than cleaning the site.
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