As the auto industry continues its bumpy ride through restructuring and competitive growing pains, the city of Flint, Michigan is preparing for hard times. This is a sad story.
General Motors Corp. and Delphi Corp., GM's former parts operation and now a separate company, announced June 26 that 47,600 of their employees — including 35,000 from GM —had agreed to take early retirement or buyout offers.
Among them were more than 3,100 of the 10,400 hourly workers in Genesee County's seven GM plants and another 1,500 of the 2,600 active workers at Delphi Flint East, the parts company's lone remaining plant in the Flint area.
What we used to call 'good old American ingenuity' will have to be on display in Flint.
Some people are pessimistic, others are taking a deep breath before trying to plan their next step.
Kirby Blankenship, a carpenter who has worked at the GM Flint Metal Center for 15 years, said he and his co-workers are concerned about their jobs and pensions but realize the importance of the restructuring efforts.
"Everyone is a little nervous, but I think everyone knows it's a necessary step," he said.
Economies and industries change. What will happen next is anybody's guess. Here's hoping that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Flint. Then maybe we'll start hearing good things from this formerly booming industrial center.
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