GM Spring Hill Workers Hopeful, Maury County Unemployment Set to Spike

GM’s manufacturing site in Spring Hill is on the list of plants to be idled by the now-bankrupt automaker. 25-hundred workers will be laid off indefinitely starting in November, while production of the Chevy Traverse will be shipped off to another site.

Workers do see a silver lining. At least the Spring Hill plant isn’t on the list to be permanently shutdown. Michele Burley works in the parts division. The 20-year-employee says GM needs to remake itself much like it did in creating Saturn 25 years ago. She hopes to be around to see it again.

“I am just not going to give up. I’m an optimist. This company’s going to survive. It has to. It’s got a lot of history in this country and I won’t let it die. I just won’t.”

If GM does choose to permanently close the plant, Rep. Ty Cobb wants workers to be ready for new jobs. He hopes to secure state money for a training facility on site at the plant. Maury County’s unemployment is at 15-percent now.

“I really believe, and I’ve told this to Governor Bredesen and other state leaders that, if this plant does shutdown, that our unemployment rate would be the highest in the state of Tennessee. I truly believe that.”

Cobb says 30% isn’t unreasonable. He says supply jobs throughout the county and Middle Tennessee are directly linked to the plant, like a Bridgestone tire factory in near-by Columbia.

Indefinite idling begins in November, but the plant will stop production for five weeks as part of an extended summer shutdown starting Friday.