Even with New GM Spring Hill Jobs, Some Consider Leaving

Many GM workers in Spring Hill are weighing whether it’s time to leave the company, even as UAW members consider a new contract that includes 1,700 additional jobs at the plant. The automaker is still trying to shed its most expensive employees.

When the assembly line at GM Spring Hill was idled two years ago, hundreds with the most seniority remained behind making plastic parts and building engines. Paul Keesling has been with GM more than 30 years, making him eligible for full retirement benefits.

“They would love to get rid of myself. I’m one of the guys who is making the top wage. They’re making an incentive for skilled trades to leave. But I think when a person is ready to retire, they know they’re ready to retire. I’m not ready to retire, but I’m going to look at this package.”

It’s hard to ignore the offer. GM has sweetened the pot with a $75,000 bonus for people like Keesling to go ahead and put a cap on their careers. Others in non-skilled jobs are eligible for a $10,000 payout. Their voluntary departures would make way for the rebounding automaker to bring on more “entry-level” workers, who make roughly half the pay of most UAW members.

Under the four-year contract awaiting ratification, entry-level employees do get a gradual pay raise to nearly $20 an hour.