Contract Negotiations Between UAW and GM Will Decide the Fate of the Lordstown Plant

Ideastream Public Media | By Phillip Grant,

Published July 15, 2019 at 7:03 PM EDT

GM Lordstown plant — The Lordstown General Motors plant has been closed since March 2019. However, contract negotiations could change everything.

Autoworkers in Lordstown are hopeful as national contract negotiations are underway with General Motors Co. GM and the United Auto Works are to begin talks Tuesday on a new 4-year deal.

UAW Local 1112 President Dave Green said leaders of the national union told him they will do their best to get a product for the shuttered Lordstown plant.

“I know that’s going to be something that they’re talking about. I’m not giving up hope on those guys," Green said. "They’re very well-skilled negotiators. And my hope is that they can bring that product here and get some justice for our members and our community."

More than 1,000 workers accepted transfers to other GM facilities, he said. The current contract will expire Sept. 14.

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Phillip Grant

Phillip was born in Cleveland but raised in Kent. He is an undergraduate student at Kent State majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications and will be graduating in Spring 2020. Currently, he is an intern at WKSU working to enhance and diversify his journalistic skills. Phillip plans on using both TV and radio platforms to not only analyze and discuss sports but also help bring people from all walks of life together to bridge the gap between sports and society.

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Sarah Taylor

A Northeast Ohio native, Sarah Taylor graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where she worked at her first NPR station, WMUB. She began her professional career at WCKY-AM in Cincinnati and spent two decades in television news, the bulk of them at WKBN in Youngstown (as Sarah Eisler). For the past three years, Sarah has taught a variety of courses in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State, where she is also pursuing a Master’s degree. Sarah and her husband Scott, have two children. They live in Tallmadge.

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