lansing grand river plant opening

7/29/2019 Lansing Grand River plant opening

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www.lsj.com2 Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal

After nearly a century of building carsin Lansing, General Motors Corp. beginsa high-stakes era next month as the firstshowroom-ready Cadillac CTS rolls out ofthe automakers new downtown plant.

For the city, the Lansing Grand RiverAssembly factory will preserve 1,500 of the6,500 high-paying auto jobs that are threat-ened with the expected closing of GMs localsmall-car plants in 2004 or 2005.

For GM, the $560 million complex is itsfirst U.S. car plant in 15 years and usesfewer workers and more robots to battleits hard-charging Japanese and Europeancompetitors.

And for Cadillac, the radically designedvehicles that will be built at LansingGrand River could save or sink the strug-

gling luxury division. The first, the CTS,goes on sale in January.

If were not successful with Cadillac,General Motors cant be successful, saidRon Zarrella, GMs North American pres-ident. And were entrusting that to thework force in the Lansing area.

GM is mid-Michigans largest privateemployer with more than 11,000 workersin five plants and a parts warehouse. Theworlds No. 1 automaker has slashed bothits local and national work force in half inthe past 25 years in an effort to becomemore efficient.

GM recently announced the end of itsLansing-founded Oldsmobile division andclosed a local engine factory that once em-ployed 1,600.

But in addition to the Cadillac plant, GMsays it will open a 2,500-worker assemblyplant just west of Lansing in 2005, makingmid-Michigan the only community in theworld with two new auto plants.

That, area officials say, will provide jobsecurity to a new generation of workerswhen GM shutters its aging Lansing CarAssembly factories, which build the Ponti-ac Grand Am, Oldsmobile Alero and Chev-rolet Malibu. A GM production job paysmore than $21 an hour.

Im like anyone else: I want a secureenvironment to work in and I feel here, inthis plant, that I can do that, said RoyMunro, a second-generation assembly line

worker who transferred from the old small-car plants to the Cadillac factory. Ive got25 years left (until retirement), so Ive gota ways to go.

Munro and his co-workers at the planteach received at least six weeks of high-tech training, far more than their prede-

cessors. Besides the CTS,theyll eventually build anew Cadillac sport utilityvehicle, the redesigned Se-ville and as many astwo more vehicles, ana-lysts say.

Lansing Grand River isGMs first U.S. plant flex-ible enough to build cars,trucks and SUVs on thesame assembly line. That

versatility is crucial to meet consumersevolving tastes, experts say.

The Grand River plant is probably themost state-of the-art plant in the entire

world for the automotive industry, saidDavid Cole, director of the Center for Auto-motive Research in Ann Arbor. It will, Ithink, be a model for the future.

Going after GMThe seeds of the new factory were plant-

ed in late 1997 when Mark Hogan, a GMvice president, said the near-century-oldLansing Car Assembly plants eventuallywould close.

That stunned leaders of a communitythat has produced cars since Ransom E.Olds built his first Oldsmobile here in1897. GM bought Oldsmobile in 1908 andhas employed several generations of localautoworkers since. The company makesmore cars in Lansing than in any U.S. city.

When Hogan sent out that signal, saidLansing Mayor David Hollister, I took himseriously and personally.

Hollister, whose father and father-in-lawhad worked for GM, formed a regional

team of politicians and business and educa-tion leaders to come up with a recruitingplan for a new factory. He was determinednot to let Lansing get slammed like Flint,where GM closed the massive Buick Cityplant in 1999 after years of labor strife andlayoffs.

If you ever wanted to be at the epicen-ter of poverty and economic decay, Flintwas it, said Hollister, a former state law-maker who often visited Flint as a memberof a House social services subcommittee.I knew that would happen here if (GMpulled out).

GM built its last U.S. assembly plant,a 7,000-worker Saturn complex in ruralSpring Hill, Tenn., in 1986-90.

The company wanted to build its nextplant on undeveloped land as well. Butarea officials convinced GM there was roomon 82 industrial acres next to the small-carfinal assembly plant just south of Inter-state 496, said Jack Davis, a key player on

the regional team.Davis, a Lansing lawyer and former

president of the Lansing

Regional Chamber ofCommerce, said outlyingtownships also cooperatedby not fighting Lansingfor the plant and that thecity and state stepped upwith an attractive incen-tive package. GM got $174million in local and statetax breaks for the plant.

Cole, the auto analyst,said mid-Michigan established itself as theindustry leader on how to attract a newfactory. GM officials gave approval for thesecond factory in Delta Township just sixmonths after giving Lansings plant thegreen light.

This is an enormously difficult thingto do in communities, Cole said. Govern-ment, labor, education, business theytend to remain separate, but Lansingbrought them together. In my discussionswith GM, that was the main reason theycame here.

But some believe area officials gave

away too much in return for a plant thatuses about a third of the workers as atraditional car factory. Many of those jobsare filled by automotive suppliers that payless than $10 an hour.

American jobs are being sold down theriver with these plants, said Pat Meyer,who heads the West Olive-based UAW Con-cern, a nonunion watchdog group for U.S.workers. Were tired of hearing that if youstreamline a plant, youve got to get rid ofpeople.

But local union officials said they didwhat it took to keep the plant from goingto one of many competing cities across thecountry. United Auto Workers Local 652,which represents the Cadillac workers, iswidely known for getting along well withGM management.

Youve got to recognize what it takesfor job security or someone will eat you forlunch, said Art Baker, Local 652s chief ne-gotiator. In my opinion, the (union) leader-ship and work force is far-sighted as faras understanding the way new plants arebuilt, and we adjust ourselves to that.

A savior?Now comes the equally difficult task of

trying to save Cadillac, officials say.After ruling the luxury market from

1950 to 1998, the division is now getting

Grand River Assembly

heralds a new chapterfor automaker, cityBy Andy Henion

Lansing State Journal

For GM in Lansing, the future is now

ROD SANFORD/Lansing State Journal

Munro

Davis

Please see GM, Page 8

GMs future: A truck rolls past the walkway of the new LansingGrand River Assembly plant. The $560 million complex will build

the Cadillac CTS, and eventually a new Cadillac sport utilityvehicle, a revamped Seville and possibly two additional vehicles.

Welcome, General Motors!Although we dont really know the proper gift to give for your new assembly plant,

we have a pretty good idea where to find it. Our thanks to

everyone at General Motors for choosing Lansing for your new Cadillac plant.

You couldnt have picked a nicer location.

C O R N E R O F S A G I N A W A N D E L M W O O DM O N D A Y - S A T U R D A Y 1 0 A M - 9 P M S U N D A Y 1 2 P M - 5 P M

(517) 321-3534

Can anyonetell us the appropriate gift fora plant-warming?

1418 E. Main St., Owosso517-725-2184800-725-2188www.youngoldscadillac.com

OWOSSOCHEVROLET OLDSMOBILE CADILLACYoung

We are your Full ServiceCadillac-Olds-Chevy Dealer.

THEFUSIONOF DESIGN& TECHNOLOGY


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www.lsj.com Lansing State Journal Sunday, November 11, 2001 3T

3T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal 3T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal 3T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal 3T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal

2801 E. MICHIGAN AVE.

374-09001-800-287-9568

OPEN MONDAY 8-8

TUES., WED. & FRI. 8-6

THURS. 8-7 & SAT. 10-4

Bud Kouts Chevrolet

Welcomes

Keep UpThe Good Work!


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Brian Springfield grew up in Michigan,then moved out of state for an automotivecareer.

Now, hes come home. Lansing Grand Riv-er Assembly General Motors Corp.s firstnew U.S. assembly factory in 15 years gave the Ypsilanti native that opportunity.

Springfield doesnt work in the $560 mil-lion factory thats opening in downtownLansing this month. He works for an autosupplier in Charlotte, one of the thousands

of support jobs the GM factory is bringingto mid-Michigan.

Without that investment from GeneralMotors, I wouldnt be living here, saidSpringfield, manager at T&WA in Charlotte.And Im not the only one. The impact ofthat factory will be felt all over this area.

The factory will create about 25,000 spi-noff jobs statewide by 2004, according to aUniversity of Michigan study. It also willhelp keep GM as the regions largest tax-payer and charitable contributor.

The GM plant itself will have up to1,500 workers within a few years. But mostof those workers wont be new to the com-pany or mid-Michigan. The automaker ismoving employees from other Lansing fac-tories into its new showcase.

The biggest difference in the economycould come in the factorys spinoff jobs. TheU-M study says 25,000 jobs everythingfrom parts suppliers to party stores willbe created across the state. About half ofthose jobs will be in Ingham, Clinton andEaton counties.

The study says that for each dollar givenGM in local tax breaks, about $150 in per-sonal income will be generated for GM work-ers and support employees through 2020.

Lansing is in a much better positionto have a strong manufacturing base thanother places will be, said Joe Billig, aneconomist with the Michigan Departmentof Career Development. Thats key to an

overall strong economy.GM has more than 11,000 mid-Michigan

employees, accounting for one of every 21jobs in Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties.

GMs employment may rise slightly whenthe Cadillac factory gets up to full speed.And it could climb again when a plantplanned for Delta Township debuts in 2005.

But GMs overall impact depends on whatthe automaker does with its small-car facto-ries, parts of which are a century old. Theyprovide the bulk of GMs employment here,and they may not last much past 2005.

GM has been growing smaller in the Lan-sing region ever since employment peakedat more than 23,000 in 1979. But its autosupplier base has grown larger, and thatwill continue with the Cadillac factory.

The Cadillac plant will be far more reli-ant on suppliers than traditional GM as-

sembly lines. The jobs typically pay be-tween $9 and $16 an hour, plus benefits.

At least five new suppliers plants withmore than 500 jobs combined have openedin the Lansing area to serve the GM factory.

The biggest, Grand Rapids-based TowerAutomotive, could have up to 400 workersat a Delta Township factory. Average pay:about $690 a week, plus benefits.

The smallest supplier, Kentucky-basedT&WA, has 14 employees in Charlotte. Thecompany makes tire and wheel assemblies itwill deliver directly to the GM assembly line.

T&WA jobs start at $9.50 an hour, with50-cent pay raises every six months. Thecompany got three applications for everyone of its jobs.

We had to put up a sign saying wewerent taking them anymore, Springfieldsaid. But people have still stopped in.

Several other suppliers likely have add-

ed jobs to provide parts for Cadillacs.Tec-Mar Distribution, which already had

a operation on North Grand River Avenue,opened a 14-employee expansion on GroveRoad to sequence parts for the Cadillac plant.

At the helm: Jim Zubkus, a former GMplant manager who was instrumental inbringing the Cadillac factory to Lansing sokey, in fact, the city named a street after him.

The new assembly operations are tryingto stay lean, Zubkus said. And when youstay lean, the jobs arent lost to the com-munity. Theyre picked up by suppliers.

Local charities also might need suppliersto pick up some of the donations tradition-ally given by GM workers.

GM and its United Auto Workers employ-ees provide about 25 percent of the CapitalArea United Ways $6 million annual budget.GM/UAW is by far the largest donor.

GM also is still the major player in thecity of Lansings budget. The Cadillac facto-ry will bring city government $15.5 millionover the next 14 years in property taxes.

Overall, GM factories provide about 8 per-cent of Lansings $2 billion property tax base.The second-biggest Lansing company Jack-son National Life Insurance Co. is worthonly one-fourth as much in tax revenues.

GM is up there all alone when it comesto impact, said Bob Swanson, Lansingsfinance director.

Contact Tim Martin at 377-1061 [email protected].

Firms help promotestability of job base,growth of economy

By Tim MartinLansing State Journal

Parts suppliers one offshoot

of factorys regional impact

CHRIS HOLMES/Lansing State Journal

On the job: Courtney Suntken puts wheel weights on a tire at T&WA, one of several localsuppliers to GMs Lansing Grand River Assembly. The Charlotte company uses 17-inchwheels (top) to make tire and wheel assemblies that will be delivered directly to the GMassembly line.

Economic impactnLansing Grand River Assembly willemploy up to 1,500 workers by 2004.Another 25,000 jobs will be createdstatewide outside of the factory, accord-ing to a University of Michigan estimate.nAbout half the spinoff jobs likely willbe within Ingham, Clinton and Eatoncounties.nAbout 30 percent of the spinoff jobsexpected in the Lansing region will bemanufacturing jobs. The others willbe in construction, retail or service-related industries.nThe factory and its support jobs willgenerate more than $600 million inpersonal income by 2005 in the Lan-sing area.

nThe Cadillac factory will add about$15.5 million to city of Lansing propertytax collections over the next 14 years.nOverall, GM jobs account for about8 percent of the income in the Lan-sing region. One of every 21 jobs inthe region is with GM.nGM and its United Auto Workersemployees contribute more than 25percent of the $6 million collected eachyear by the Capital Area United Way.

Made In Michigan

Eyde Company would like to congratulate GM,Cadillac, Mayor Hollister and the Blue Ribbon

Committee. A proud community extends itsappreciation. God Bless America.

4660 S. Hagadorn Rd. Suite 660East Lansing, MI 48823

351-2480Visit - www.eyde.com

Retail/Office/Industrial/Residental

Working TogetherTo Help Make Lansing

A World Class Community

Region 1-CCal Rapson, Director Ed Foy, Asst. Director


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Lansing State Journal Sunday, November 11, 2001 5www.lsj.com

n1897:Ransom E.Olds andLansingbusinesspeople start

the OldsMotor Vehi-cle Co. andbuild four

cars. The Lansing-basedmanufacturer was the firstcompany organized specif-ically to produce cars inquantity.

n1899: Olds secondcompany, Olds MotorWorks, moves to Detroit.

n1901: Detroit plants aredestroyed by fire and Oldsreturns to Lansing.

n1908: Oldsmobile joinsthe newly organized GeneralMotors Co. as one of its firsttwo operating divisions. Theother is Buick.

n1927-29: Olds employ-ment skyrockets to 7,000with 12 new buildings.

n1935: One millionthOlds is built.

n1942-45: Car produc-tion stops and Olds workersmake 48 million rounds ofammunition, 140,000 aircraftmachine guns and tankcannons.

n1950: R.E. Olds dies.

n1958: Olds becomesthe nations fourth largest

automaker.n1965: Employment tops

15,000 in Lansing.

n1978: With the dedica-tion of a new Cutlass plant,Oldsmobiles Lansing opera-tions become North Amer-icas largest passenger carassembly complex.

n1979: Engine plantopens in Delta Township.GM employment tops23,000.

n1984: With the reorga-nization of GM, Oldsmobilebecomes a sales and mar-keting division in the Buick-Oldsmobile-Cadillac Group.

n1992: Buick-Oldsmo-bile-Cadillac disappears asa GM name. Lansings fac-tories become part of the

Lansing Automotive Division,which made its home officesin the city.

n1996: GM announcesOlds will move to Detroit.

n1997: Olds celebrates100th anniversary.

n1998: Olds moves fromLansing to Detroit.

n1999: A GM vice pres-ident says the automakercould build two new assem-bly factories in the Lansingarea.

n2000: GM confirms onJan. 31 that it is building theLansing Grand River Assem-bly plant.

n2000: GM announceson June 20 its plans fora Delta Township assemblyplant.

n2000: GM announcesDec. 12 that it will eliminatethe Oldsmobile division inthe next few years.

n2001: GM says in Maythat it will delay the openingof the Delta assembly plantuntil 2005.

n2001: The Delta Town-ship engine plant closes itsdoors.

R.E. Olds

Lansingsauto history

1908 Oldsmobile 6CCurved Dash

Olds former Lansingheadquarters

Plant construction in

Delta Township

One hundred years ago, it was thesame story.

A flashy new automobile factory onthe banks of the Grand River prom-ised an era of economic security forLansing.

The latest technology and assem-bly techniques piqued the curiosity ofthe industrial world.

And a new chapter in Lansingshistory, which often reads much likethe auto industrys, was written.

This months opening of LansingGrand River Assembly is the latest

in a long line of historic automotiveevents in mid-Michigan.In December 1901, R.E. Olds

opened a new auto factory just westof the Grand River site.

Literally a stones throw away,said Jim Walkinshaw, an Oldsmobilehistorian. Thats very telling aboutwhat the auto industry has meant tothis community.

If Ransom Eli Olds hadnt openedhis factory a century ago, its doubt-ful Grand River Assembly would beopening here today.

Olds built his first car in 1897,working in a Lansing garage. TheOlds nameplate, later called Oldsmo-bile, is the oldest in North America.

The company later was absorbedby General Motors, which is phasingout the Oldsmobile name with the2004 model Bravada. But Lansinghas since diversified its automotivelineup, and the business should con-tinue to prosper even as the name

which started it all fades into history.Grand River Assembly, for example,will build Cadillacs an Olds rivaluntil both became part of GM.

Humble birthLansing autoworkers now build

about 400,000 vehicles a year. R.E.Olds built just four in 1897.

Olds didnt like cleaning up afterhorses on city streets. But he wasin the minority then. Skeptics withinthe Lansing community thoughthis new horseless carriage businesswould fail. The town, after all, wasbuilt on agriculture and the lumberbusiness. Most figured it would re-main that way.

Friends even urged Olds wife,Metta, to leave him because they fig-ured hed never be successful. Shestuck with Olds, who stuck with theauto industry and proved the townwrong.

Olds moved his factory to Detroitin 1899. Thats where Cadillac, Fordand most other U.S. carmakers weresetting up shop a century ago.

But a fire destroyed the Detroitfactory in 1901. Olds read about thedisaster in a newspaper, travelinghome from a family vacation inCalifornia.

His factory was reduced to rubble.Olds was forced to buy engines fromthe Dodge brothers and transmis-sions from Cadillac. Then a groupof Lansing businessmen put togethera package that convinced Olds to re-

turn to town. They bought the for-mer Central Michigan Fairgroundsand turned it over to the automaker,who had already demonstrated hiscompany had great promise.

Parts of the Olds Motor Worksfactory still stand as part of a GMsmall-car assembly plant.

The Olds Motor Co. made about

2,500 cars a year in the early 1900s.Its most popular model, the CurvedDash, was a one-cylinder, seven-horsepower vehicle that weighed 650pounds and cost $650.

R.E. Olds abruptly left the busi-ness hed built in 1904 after a dis-agreement with company sharehold-ers. He started a competitor on Lan-sings Baker Street, the now-defunctReo Motor Car Co.

The move was typical for the en-trepreneur, who was more excitedabout starting a business than run-ning an established company.

Reo actually outsold Olds MotorWorks in 1905 and 1906.

They made quality cars betterthan Olds at the time, said DuaneAllen, an Olds retiree whose father,George, worked for Reo. R.E. Oldshad his way at Reo, and built carsthe way he wanted to build them.

But the company was small, anda lack of research and developmentfunds caused Reo to leave the carbusiness in 1936. The companywould revive to build buses andtrucks until 1975 a quarter cen-tury after R.E. Olds death.

Olds Motor Works initially strug-gled without its founder at the helm.Other automakers made innovativenew models, but Olds stuck primar-ily with the Curved Dash, which wasfading in popularity by 1906.

The company was saddled with $1million in debt by 1908. Thats whenauto tycoon William Durant, founder

of General Motors, stepped in andrescued the Lansing company.

Durants assistant, William Mead,became Oldsmobiles president in1909. The Lansing factory had 800workers building touring, roadsterand limousine models.

Oldsmobile quickly regained itsstatus as one of Americas top 10sellers, making 21,800 cars in 1917.Workers made about 50 cents anhour decent wages for the era.Todays wage: about $22 an hour,among the highest-paying manufac-turing jobs available.

New partnersThe United Auto Workers have

been influential in shaping that highwage and standard of living. Theunion was born in the 1930s, asOldsmobile and other automakersstaggered out of the GreatDepression.

Olds employment had droppedfrom 7,200 in 1929 to 3,900 in1933. Lansing formed UAW locals,but avoided the strikes that crippledFlint and other parts of the statesin the 1930s. It started a traditionof good labor-management relationsthat company and union officials saywas crucial in the decision to awardLansing the Cadillac factory.

We dont fight each other here,said Ralph Shepard, president of

United Auto Workers Local 652 inLansing. We work together.

Olds detoured from the autoindustry when the United Statesentered World War II in the 1940s.The companys wartime work forceof 11,000 many of them womenentering the work force for thefirst time made artillery shells,rockets, cannons, guns and parts foraircraft engines.

Booming businessWhen the war ended, Americas

economy expanded. Lansing andOldsmobile benefited, as the auto-maker employed 14,000 workers andbuilt nearly 600,000 vehicles in 1955.

The auto industry gave birth toLansings middle class. By the 1950s,Lansing kids could graduate highschool and find themselves workingin auto plants within a few weeks.

Allen worked at a Sears & Roe-buck tire center for 95 cents anhour after graduating high school.He hired in at Oldsmobile soon after-ward for $1.60 an hour.

Man, I was rich, Allen said.Within six months, you could afforda car. In a year, you could get mar-ried and maybe buy a house. It wasa time when you didnt have to go tocollege, and a lot of us never thoughtmuch about going to college.

Lansing became North Americaslargest passenger car assembly com-plex in 1978. A year later, with theopening of an engine plant in DeltaTownship, local employment peakedat 23,000.

The Lansing area has only halfas many GM employees today. Thedecline is partly related to changeswithin GM, but mostly its becauseof technology that enables cars to bebuilt with far fewer employees than afew decades ago.

GM reorganized its automakingdivisions in 1984. For the first time,Lansings GM workers made morethan Oldsmobiles adding Buicksand Pontiacs to their productionlineup.

Oldsmobile became solely a mar-keting division, often overshadowedby its sister GM divisions and foreigncompetition. It remained headquar-tered in Lansing until 1998, whenanother GM reorganization movedall of its marketing division head-quarters to Detroits RenaissanceCenter.

Last year, GM announced itwould phase out the Olds nameplatealtogether.

But Lansing already had beenforced to move beyond the name thatstarted its automotive heritage.

GM hasnt opened a new vehicleassembly plant in the United Statessince Saturn made its first car inSpring Hill, Tenn., more than a de-cade ago. Mid-Michigan is poised forthe newest major investment.

The Cadillac factory opening inLansing this month is the first oftwo new factories planned in mid-Michigan. A Delta Township facilitycould open in 2005.

The fact that Oldsmobile is goingaway is saddening, Walkinshawsaid. But the legacy of R.E. Oldsand those folks from the early days iscertainly still here.

Contact Tim Martin at 377-1061 [email protected].

Automaking tradition rolls on

Lansing State Journal file photo

By Tim MartinLansing State Journal

The legacy of R.E. Olds and those folks from the early days is certainly still here.Jim Walkinshaw, Oldsmobile historian


Giving it a look: An Oldsmobile rolls off the assembly line in this undated photo. Olds became the nations fourthlargest automaker in 1958.

Grand River Assemblynewest addition to citysrich car-building heritage


Former Lansing product: This Oldsmobile Achieva, shown in 1997, was oneof the cars that used to be built at the Lansing Car Assembly plant. The plantnow makes the Oldsmobile Alero, Pontiac Grand Am and Chevrolet Malibu.

History on wheels: A cavalcade of Oldsmobiles from the 1930s cruises downMichigan Avenue during the 1997 celebration of Oldsmobiles 100th anniversary.

Ransom Eli Olds built his first vehicle in a Lansing garage in 1897, making Oldsmobilethe oldest automotive nameplate in North America.


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GM: Many expecting bright future for Grand River Assembly plantContinued FROM Page 2

trounced by luxury powerhouses Lexus,BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Cadillac sales

have plummeted 52 percent since peakingin 1978.

The $30,000-$40,000 CTS, which replac-es the poor-selling Cadillac Catera, is thefirst in a slate of head-turning vehicles de-signed to reverse that trend. Because theCTS looks similar to other upcoming Cad-dies, many see it as an all-important litmustest.

If the CTS is not a make-it-or-break-itcar, its pretty close to that, said JeffSchuster, an analyst for auto consultantJ.D. Power and Associates. If its not as

successful as they want it to be, it willprobably not take down Cadillac. But ifthis product doesnt do well, it is going tohamper what is going to happen to the restof the products.

Plant officials know they cant directlyinfluence sales, but they can build a carof the same high quality that defines high-end offerings from Lexus and BMW.

They also plan to build each car in24 hours, which would crush the industrystandard.

We need to come out of the chute

with a quality level that gets us on theplaying field with the best in the industry,said plant manager Bob Anderson, whosinstilled an open-door, all-for-one cultureamong his staff.

Ron Harbour, a Troy analyst who special-izes in plant productivity, said he expectsGM to become more efficient as it shedsworkers and relies more on technology and

the team-building concept that fueled theJapanese automakers success.

I think what the Lansing plant will dois prove that you can build a smaller luxu-

ry vehicle and still build it to very highquality and with high efficiency, he said.I think theyre going to blow away some ofthe norms of what productivity can be witha luxury car.

Like all employees at the Cadillac plant,30-year-old Darren McDonald volunteeredto work there. And like many workers, hesaid hes pumped about the chance to help

chart a new course for GM even thoughit means fewer people are working along-side him.

I think theres a bright future here,

said McDonald, a production worker fromNashville, southwest of Lansing in BarryCounty. A lot of people, when they talkabout quality, some of our competitorsnames come up. But I think General Mo-tors has made a commitment and given usan opportunity to set the bar for quality.

Contact Andy Henion at 377-1205 [email protected].

By now, nearly everyone associated withthe auto industry has heard the rumblingsthat General Motors Corp. will renege onits promise to build a $1 billion vehicle as-sembly plant in Delta Township.

Not true, the automaker says.Although GM has delayed the plant

opening at least a year, until 2005, it is stillcommitted to building the 2,500-employeefactory, said spokeswoman Renee Rashid-Merem.

GM officials have attributed the delay tothe struggling economy and say they arestill trying to determine what vehicles theywill build in Delta Township. Analysts saythe automaker has shifted future produc-tion plans from cars to hot-selling trucks.

We are assessing a variety of scenariosfor the plant, Rashid-Merem said, addingthat another delay is possible.

Lansing-area officials say the plant,along with GMs soon-to-open Cadillacplant in downtown Lansing, are crucial tostem the job losses when GM quits makingsmall cars at its aging Lansing Car As-sembly plants in 2004 or 2005.

The two new plants would employ a com-bined 4,300 people. But Lansing Car As-sembly has about 6,500 workers, meaninga potential loss of 2,200 jobs that pay morethan $21 per hour.

In addition, GMs Saginaw Street met-al-stamping plant, which supplies parts toLansing Car Assembly, faces an unknownfuture. If that Lansing Township plant wereto close along with LCA, another 1,800 jobswould be lost.

Worst-case scenario: GMs employmentin mid-Michigan could dip below 7,000 froma current level of about 11,000.

GM has slashed its local work force from23,400 employees in 1979, although it re-mains the areas largest private employer.Some warn the job losses will continue.

GM will not build that second plant,said Pat Meyer, head of UAW Concern,a nonunion group that fights for workerrights. Theyre going to call it economics.

Meyer, who is lobbying state officials tostanch the loss of high-paying jobs in Lan-sing and across Michigan, said GMs localwork force could dip to 4,000. No one hassecurity anymore in their jobs, she said.

David Cole, an Ann Arbor auto analyst,believes GM will build the Delta plant. Hesaid the automaker can afford to wait atleast another two years before it announcesdetails.

We used to hear five years in advanceabout these plants; now we might hear ayear or 18 months out. These plants arevery flexible, said Cole, director of the Cen-ter for Automotive Research. Somethingcould come up that is unforeseen, but myguess is youll see a plant in Delta Townshipnot too far down the road.

Currently GM is building a metal-stamping plant at the Delta site to producecar parts for different assembly operations.That plant will employ a few hundredpeople.

The start of construction on the mainassembly complex, which will support about2,500 jobs, is the project that has beendelayed.

Lansing Mayor David Hollister said GMofficials have assured him they wont closethe Lansing Car Assembly plants until theyopen the Delta complex, preventing mas-sive layoffs.

Thats reassuring to me, he said.

Hollister and other community and laborleaders are now trying to find a replace-ment for the LCA plants, which build thePontiac Grand Am, the Chevrolet Malibuand the Oldsmobile Alero. The Alero will beaxed in 2004; GM wont say where it willshift production of the Grand Am and theMalibu, two of its best-selling cars.

All my time is going toward keeping

those plants alive, said Art Baker, chiefnegotiator for United Auto Workers Local652, Lansings largest union. While some-one else is celebrating the grand openingof the Cadillac plant (in January), Ill bein meetings with GM working on our nextvictory.

The LCA plants, located about a mileapart on Verlinden Avenue and Townsend

Street, are nearly a century old and spana combined 5.75 million square feet more than twice the size of todays stream-lined plants. Although they are GMs busi-est domestic car factories, building morethan 400,000 vehicles a year, the companywastes $1.3 million a year shipping car bod-ies from one plant to the other.

Clearly these old plants downtown are

antiquated and GM needs to improve itsproductivity, said Doug Rothwell, chief ex-ecutive of the Michigan Economic Develop-ment Corp.

GM wont say what it will do with theplants, but Rothwell said the companyplans to tear them down. The MEDC, hesaid, would likely provide tax relief to GMor another company that builds a new fac-tory there.

Jack Davis, a Lansing lawyer and keymember of a community team that helpedsecure the new GM plants, said he expectsthe LCA plant site to host either a low-volume GM plant or an auto parts supplier.

GM already builds the low-volume Cadil-lac Eldorado at the Craft Centre in LansingTownship. Next year, workers there will be-gin building the new Chevy SSR hot rod,another niche vehicle.

Hollister said he wont be happy unlessGM builds another new plant or retoolsLansing Car Assembly for a new vehicle.That added employment, he said, couldkeep GMs local work force at full strength.

We have never, at any point, said wed

settle for less than three plants, the mayorsaid. Three plants would probably get us tothe break-even point.

Cole said a third plant seems like astretch.

But then its really hard for GM to closethose old plants and walk away, just froman environmental standpoint. Who knowswhats in the ground there, and whetheryou could even sell it for a shopping centeror a subdivision, he said.

I just dont know. And my guess is, GMdoesnt know at this point either.


Uncertainty about Delta plant lingersIn spite of rumors, GM

says it is committed tobuilding $1B facility

By Andy HenionLansing State Journal

Massive complex: The new $560 million Grand River Assembly plant in Lansing (thecomplex of three white buildings in the background) will open in January. GM hasnt said

what its plans are for its aging Lansing Car Assembly plants (the chassis plant is thestriped building in the foreground); they will stop making cars in 2004 or 2005.

BECKY SHINK/Lansing State Journal


Another project: Work has begun on the metal-stamping plant forGMs new $1 billion vehicle assembly complex in Delta Township.

Construction on the main assembly plant has been delayed a year;GM says the slow economy is one factor.

Lansing Grand River Assembly plant

nLocation: Main and Walnut streets, just off Interstate 496 indowntown LansingnCost: $560 millionnEmployees: 1,500 at peak operationnPeak production: About 160,000

Cadillacs a year on two shiftsnVehicles: The CTS sedan (right),

with a Cadillac sport utility and, possibly,the next-generation Seville added laternSize: 1.9 million square feet; 82.5

acresnComponents: Adjacent body, paint and general assembly

factoriesnSuppliers: 56 worldwidenTrucks: 350 semis delivering parts to the plant dailynPlant manager: Robert Bob AndersonnUnion: United Auto Workers Local 652nEtc.: Lansing Grand River is General Motors Corp.s first U.S.

assembly plant since the Saturn plant was built in Spring Hill, Tenn.,in 1986

We areproud to have been partof the Union Construction Team

that built the new Assembly Plant.

We are also proud thatProfessional Teamster Drivers will

be delivering the new Cadillacs

to the Nations Dealerships.

The Membership and Officersof

Teamsters Local 580

Welcome GMFrom your friends at

Delta Dental.


7/12


9T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal 9T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal 9T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal 9T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal

would like to

Welcomethe new

Cadillac Plantand all of its

Employees

to Lansing

394-0330or 1-800-678-9561

394-0330or 1-800-678-9561


8/12


He had a prestigious job designing carinteriors at GMs Tech Center in Warren,but for Venki Padmanabhan, something

was missing.The 38-year-old father of three wantedto be on the assembly line working withpeople.

So in an unusual move, Padmanabhantook a demotion to supervise a small pro-duction team at Buick City in Flint aboutthree years ago. When that factory closedin 1999, he got an even better assignment:production shift leader at the new LansingGrand River plant.

Padmanabhan now supervises dozens ofworkers and plays a crucial role in thefinal assembly of GMs new luxury car, theCadillac CTS.

I found my calling late in life, saysPadmanabhan, an 11-year company veter-an who has a doctorate in engineering. Ifound that my calling was working withproduction people on the plant floor.

One of his hardest tasks was convincingunion members to help design the manu-facturing process at GMs first U.S. assem-bly plant in 15 years. That team effort wasa new concept for many who were used to

the top-down, confrontational managementstyle of years past.

When they came here they saw usas managers and expected us to behavethe same way we did before. We kept tell-ing them, Were different, were different,youre empowered, he says.

I would say its a very, very hard-wonrelationship. And its still very fragile.

Padmanabhan, whose wife, Pam, is anengineer at GMs Lansing Car Assemblyplant, says he doesnt regret his decision tojoin the highly intense process of buildingcars.

Dont tell my bosses, he says, but Idbe happy as a pig if I were doing this forthe rest of my life.

Andy Henion

Man doesnt regretcareer change to GM

Ben Speer, 44, of Grand Ledge took a$1-an-hour pay cut when he left his job asan auto mechanic to work for GM 24 yearsago. He never regretted it.

Ive always been happy to come towork, Speer says. Ive never dreaded it.

He came to GM because of the benefitsthe job offered.

I knew I would have medical and a pen-sion, Speer says. It was for my future, notto put dollars in my pocket today.

From the moment he was hired, he real-ized he had more control of his destinythan ever before.

You can make General Motors what youwant it to be, hesays. If you wantto coast and ride,you can do that.If you want to getinvolved and bepart of the pro-cess, youre wel-come to do that.

The opportuni-ties to be partof the process areeven greater atthe new plant,Speer says.

I think themanagement and

the union representatives have done a verygood job of getting the word out to the rankand file on the floor that their voice mat-ters, Speer says. Ive not found anythingthat management has closed the door onand said we cant discuss it.

Hugh Leach

Training standardsmuch different today

When Dick Jensen walked into GMsLansing diesel engine plant 23 years ago,he got three hours of training before he wasput to work on the assembly line.

And if you couldnt cut it three dayslater, you were gone, he says.

Jensen could cut it, and nearly a quarterof a century later hes starting another newjob helping build the new Cadillac CTSat Lansing Grand River, GMs most au-tomated and streamlined North Americanplant to date.

But this time, the 46-year-old Jensenwas trained for weeks before taking hispost as a team leader in the paint shop.

Before, it was do your job or youre gone.Now General Motors works with you a lit-tle more.

Jensen and his union colleagues alsohave been given more autonomy than everbefore.

Management still has the last say in theoverall picture, but in our own areas werun the whole show, whether its how much

scrap we create, buying our own gloves orwhos on vacation, he says. GM is finallyusing its No. 1 resource: its people.

Jensen lives in Lansing with hiswife, MeriAlice,who works for aworkers compen-sation insurancefirm. The couplehas three grownsons. Jensen, theonly family mem-ber who works forGM, previouslywas a team co-ordinator at Lan-sing Car Assem-bly, which hasbuilt cars for de-cades.

When I wasgetting ready to come down here, therewere some people saying, What do youwant to go there for? he says. Thats be-cause they were afraid of change. Changeisnt always a good thing, but it isnt alwaysa bad thing, either.

One change Jensen enjoys is open com-

munication between production workersand managers.

I found out when I got here, besides us-ing my hands I can use my mind now. I canask questions to anybody. I can walk into(plant manager) Bob Andersons office andtalk to him if I want, he says.

A lot of people want to be told what to

do. They want to come in and do their joband go home. At this plant it doesnt workthat way.

Andy Henion

Son of Olds workersays plant means a lot

When you grew up in Lansing 40 yearsago, you grew up in an Oldsmobile town.

No one knows that better than unionrepresentativeJim DooLittle,whose fatherworked for theLansing-foundedcompany for threedecades.

All I knew wasOldsmobile, hesays. As we grewup, Lansing wasOldsmobile. Lan-sing was the Olds

rocket engine. Ev-erybody wantedan Oldsmobile.

And whileGMs new Cadillac factory in Lansingdoesnt take the sting out of losing Olds which will be phased out in 2004 it goesa long way toward providing security for1,500 autoworkers and many spinoff jobs,DooLittle says.

It goes further than what it means forthe union, he says. The union is made upof people in the community. This means alot for this whole community.

As a committeeman for United AutoWorkers Local 652, DooLittle, 46, repre-sents the hourly workers at the new Lan-sing Grand River plant.

All employees volunteered to workthere, he says, hoping to break qualityand efficiency records at the state-of-the-art plant.

The energy level out there on the plantfloor is unbelievable, he says. In 25 yearsIve never been involved in an undertakingof this size where everybody is positive andsaying, Nobody is going to touch us. Weregoing to be the best in the world.

Lofty goals aside, DooLittle acknowledg-es that the success of the plant has muchto do with the sales of the cars it will pro-duce. First off the line is the CTS sedan,with at least two more Cadillacs expectedto be added to the production line within a

Working with people issupervisors calling

GM workers: The lives of those on the line


Speer Jensen

DooLittleThe right fit: Venki Padmanabhan is a production shift leader atthe new Lansing Grand River Assembly plant. He says he found

his calling late in life, wanting to work on the assembly line withproduction workers. He also has worked for GM in Warren and Flint.


9/12

Lansing State Journal Sunday, November 11, 2001 11www.lsj.com

GM workers: The lives of those on the linecouple years.

Will Lansing become known as a Cadil-lac town?

In todays world, I dont think so, Doo-Little says. Having an identity based onOldsmobile or Pontiac or Chevy, I dontthink well see that again in our lifetimes.Although, believe me, we would love to be

known as a Cadillac town and the prestigethat comes with it. Andy Henion

Man will help to keepworkers spirits high

Kevin Tinsley has been a Colorado skiinstructor, a Boy Scout adventure director,a Patriot missile crew member in the U.S.Army.

More recently, this 34-year-old assemblyline worker made it to the third round ofinterviews on the CBS hit show Survivor one step away from competing for the $1million prize.

Tinsley, a fun-loving bachelor, insists hewas in it for the money more than thenational exposure.

I thought I could win the million dol-lars, he says. Who wants to be on TVunshaven and smelly?

Forget the stereotype of the gruff, mono-

syllabic autoworker pounding out car bod-ies with a mallet. Tinsley, who works in therobot-filled body shop at GMs new LansingGrand River plant, also serves on the en-thusiasm team, a group charged with keep-ing the workers motivated.

I dont know if Im the life of the party,but I give people something to laugh at,says Tinsley, who lives in Lansing with histhree dogs. Youve got to relax and enjoyyourself, know the people you work with.

Tinsley previously worked at GMs Lan-sing Car Assembly plant for about sixyears. He says he volunteered at the newCadillac factory because he wanted to bepart of the future. There, he helped designhis own job of grinding and brushing outflaws in the sheet metal.

Its exciting to be part of a completeidea change for General Motors, as far asthem building a new plant here, a newprocess, as well as a brand new car fromthe ground up, says Tinsley, a member ofUnited Auto Workers Local 652. And froma union standpoint, were more involved inthe production startup than I think weveever been.

When asked about his role models, Tins-ley lists his dad, Herman Tinsley, who isGMs North American finance director.

Who else? Bob Barker, for having hispets spayed and neutered, he says, thenadds: Thats a joke.

Andy Henion

Commute from Almaworth it for union rep

Colin Thrush, 47, makes a 120-mileround trip to Lansing every weekday fromhis home in Alma.

Its worth every mile of it just in job sat-isfaction, he says.

Thrush hasbeen a unionrepresentative fornearly 20 of his 23years with Gen-eral Motors. Hesays he has neverseen as much co-operation betweenunion and man-agement as nowexists at the Lan-sing Grand Riverplant.

The team-builtphilosophy is

deeper than it has ever been before,Thrush says. Its a good change.

Thrush, who is married and has two

children, says five GM vice presidents vis-ited the new plant a few weeks ago.

I never even saw one for 22 years, hesays. Now we are sitting down with themand talking with them to find out abouttheir philosophies.

Thrush said both the leadership of GMand the UAW has done an about-face tocreate as close to an ideal work environ-ment as possible at the new Cadillac plant.

They give us direction, but they leavehands off, trusting us to negotiate whatsbest for our profit, he says. They providedirection but theyre not overbearing.

I used to not brag so much about where Iwork, but thats all I do anymore, he says.

Hugh Leach

Being a part of historya big draw for woman

You want to know why I came to Lan-sing Grand River? asks Wendi Demond-Seiler, 50, of Mason.

I came because of the opportunity to bea part of history. We are going to be doing

the whole car here and thats exciting.Demond-Seiler, 50, was a single mother

of two when she was hired by General Mo-tors 23 years ago, attracted by both thebenefits and the pay.

My children at first had a hard timewith it because I had to be on the nightshift and couldnt be home with them, she

said. But then,with the benefits,as they got olderthey realized howimportant that is.Now that theyreon their own, theydefinitely knowhow importantthat is.

Her first jobwas driving carsoff the end of theassembly line.

I thought, Ohmy God, this is allI have to do to

make this kind of money. I love it, shesays. Then reality hit. I lasted about 30days on that job and then I went to final

assembly and I was hanging alternators.Now she audits cars after they are built.I get it . . . and go over it just to

make sure quality goes into the product,Demond-Seiler says.

At her old plant, different people checkedvarious aspects of the car. Now shes check-ing the cars for durability, water testing

them, checking out the paint and more.Demond-Seiler says theres a great at-titude among the workers at the new plant.

If you see a problem, you dont hesitatefor one minute, she says. Youre going tofix it instead of saying Let it go, theyll fixit at the dealership. Were about quality.

Hugh Leach

Pride, team atmospherein place at new factory

If you had told Jerry Gunn that one dayhe would have lunch with the president ofGeneral Motors North America when start-ed working for the automaker 24 years ago,he would have questioned your sanity.

I had to give a presentation to RonZarrella, Gunn says. He asked me a

question from 2feet away aboutthe process in ourplant.

Gunn, 44, of

Woodland said thecommunicationamong workersand managementat the new Lan-sing Grand Riverplant has instilleda real sense ofpride in all whowork there.

Its awesome towork with a man

like (plant manager) Bob Anderson, hesays. When you see him get up in frontof a big room to give a speech and he getschoked up because hes so proud of whatwere doing, well, if that doesnt rip yourheart out, nothing does.

Youre a part of a team here. Were likea family. Theres so much pride from top tobottom that its just awesome.

Everybody is united by one commongoal, Gunn says, and thats to build thebest car in the world.

Theres no exceptions, he says Wellnot settle for anything less.

Gunn says working at the new plant isntfor everyone. Some may be turned off by therequirement that they wear a uniform.

I think its great, he says. General Motorsbuys me clothes for the week. Whats wrongwith that? Ive got three different colors ofshirts and three different pairs of pants.

Hugh Leach


Demond-SeilerThrush

Gunn

Full of energy: Not only will Kevin Tinsley work in the body shop atLansing Grand River Assembly, but he will serve on the enthusiasm

team, which will help keep workers motivated. Youve got to relaxand enjoy yourself, know the people you work with, Tinsley says.


10/12


If Cadillac is going to claw its way backto the top of the luxury car market it ruledfor nearly 50 years, the revolution will starthere in Lansing.

The locally built CTS is the first in a newstable of vehicles the struggling automakerhopes will win over a generation enamoredwith Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

General Motors Corp. is spending $5 bil-lion to overhaul its once-dominant luxurydivision, which turns 100 next year. Thatincludes the $560 million, state-of-the-artLansing Grand River Assembly plant,which starts building the showroom-ready2003 CTS next month.

Many reviews of the $30,000-$40,000small sedan have been favorable, althoughsome analysts say the CTS has a heavy

angular look and lacks the elegance of itsEuropean and Asian competitors.

The real test will come from consumers.The CTS and any mainstream Cadillac

they build is make-it-or-break-it for Cadil-lac at this point, said Susan Jacobs of Ja-cobs & Associates in New Jersey, which ana-lyzes the luxury car market. They cantreally afford major failures.

Founded in 1902, Cadillac came to epito-mize luxury and innovation with vehicleslike the 1927 LaSalle and the 1949 CoupedeVille. The company introduced the firstmass-produced V-8 engine, the V-16, thesunroof and the tail fin.

In 1950, Cadillac began its unprecedent-ed run as luxury car king. Sales peaked at350,813 units in 1978 as the company con-trolled more than 50 percent of the luxurycar market.

Cadillac was very successful with thepost-World War II generation, Jacobs said.They defined luxury, actually, and cateredto the preferences and priorities of that au-dience as they aged toward retirement.

But sales plummeted in the 1980s as con-sumers eschewed what they saw as bland,poorly designed vehicles like the Allanteand the Cimarron, which was a thinlyveiled Chevrolet Cavalier.

More recently, sales of the German-builtCatera and the locally built Eldorado havestruggled. The Catera will be replaced bythe CTS. The Eldorado will be axed next

year at GMs Craft Centre in Lansing Town-ship and workers there will build the newChevy SSR.

In 1998, Lincoln ended Cadillacs half-century reign as luxury sales leader. Thisyear, Cadillac is on pace to sell about175,000 vehicles, less than half of its 1978level. The brand is running fifth behindLexus, BMW, Mercedes and Acura, withLincoln a close sixth.

The average Cadillac buyer is 62 yearsold at least a decade older than the av-erage buyer of a BMW or Mercedes. Ca-dillacs new campaign, dubbed Art & Sci-ence, aims to capture more of the import-buying consumers in their 30s and 40s.

Next year, Cadillac will begin offering theCTS and the $50,000 Escalade EXT truck.Coming in 2003: the XLR, a $65,000 two-seat roadster thats a vast departure forCadillac.

At Lansing Grand River, Cadillac withina year or two will add production of a car-based sport utility vehicle modeled afterthe Vizon concept and the next-generationSeville, analysts say. The new Cadillacs

share a chiseled look and a prominent wide-spaced grille.

Were going to be different, were goingto stand out in the (luxury) segment, Cadil-lac General Manager Mark LaNeve said.Our design is bold, its breakthrough, itsfresh and we are really going to offer analternative to buyers.

Many Cadillac dealers complain of declin-ing sales and say the new batch of vehiclesis long overdue. Theyre excited about theCTS, which arrives in showrooms early nextyear.

The styling on the Catera wasnt all thathot, although the inside was beautiful andit drove zippy and fun. The CTS has thestyling to go with it, I think, said TonyYoung, who has sold Cadillacs in Owosso for18 years.

We needed a whole new look, not just anew grille and a set of wheels.

But some say the CTS doesnt deliver.Sadly, the exterior disappointed, said

a reviewer for Wardsauto.com, a leading in-dustry publication. Its too busy and theflanks too heavy to call it elegant.

Cadillac officials say the CTS needs toturn heads if its going to make a dent in thesmall-car luxury class, which includes thepopular BMW 3-series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

It is a love-it or hate-it design, Cadillacspokesman Kevin Smith said. The categoryit competes in is so incredibly competitive,the last thing you want is a car that peoplejust like. Youve got to love it. If its a littlebit polarizing and some people dont like it,thats probably not a bad thing.

Jacobs likes the looks of the CTS butsaid Cadillac may have to keep its expecta-tions low because of the weak economy. Ifthe division sells a modest 30,000 vehicles,that would be fabulously successful, shesaid.

Consumers bought just 17,290 Cateras in2000, and sales are down 35 percent thisyear. Cadillacs leading car, the DeVille, sold106,000 units last year.

Overall Cadillac sales are down 10.4 per-cent through October.

The luxury market Cadillac is headinginto is relatively soft and intensively com-petitive, Jacobs said. To really get theyounger buyers its going to be a hard sell.


Luxury division hopesLansing-built car willattract younger buyers

By Andy HenionLansing State Journal

CTS the vanguard of Cadillacs new attitude

Lansing State Journal

$29,90

0-$40

,400

Cost

Wheelbase: 113.4 in.

Front track: 60 in.

Rear track: 60 in.

Length: 190.1 in.

Width: 70.7 in.

Height: 56.7 in.

Fuel capacity: 18 gal.

Curb weight: 3509 lb. (manual)

3568 lb. (automatic)

Source: General Motors Corp.

EPA city: 18 mpg

EPA highway: 26 mpg

Vital statistics for the CTS

Cadillac CTS

Fuel economy (Est.)

Interior

Dimensions & capacities


Not your fathers Caddy: Onlookers get a peek at the 2003 Cadillac CTS, a car the luxurydivision is banking on to compete with nameplates such as Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

A century of Cadillacn1902: The first Cadillac automo-

bile is completed on Oct. 17. Pow-ered by a single-cylinder engine, the$750 car sells out at the 1903 NewYork Automobile Show.n1910: Cadillac introduces closed

bodywork called a limousine asa standard offering.n1915: Cadillac unveils the first

mass-produced V-8 engine.n1930: Cadillac introduces the first

V-16 engine for passenger cars.n1948: The famous Cadillac tail fin,

designed by Harley Earl, is introduced.n1950: Cadillac begins a 48-year

run as the worlds top-selling luxury car.n1964: Cadillac provides the auto

industrys first thermostatically regu-lated heating, ventilating and air con-ditioning system.n1975: Cadillac is the first U.S.

manufacturer to use electronic fuelinjection.n1978: Cadillac reaches its peak

sales year with 350,813 vehicles.n1982: The Cadillac Cimarron is

introduced as a rebadged ChevroletCavalier and never takes off withconsumers.n1998: Lincoln outsells Cadillac,

ending the companys reign as luxurycar king. Cadillac also introduces theEscalade, its first sport utility vehicle.n2000: Cadillac sales fall to

189,154 fifth place in luxury carsbehind Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW

and Lincoln. GM also moves produc-tion of the Cadillac Eldorado to GMsCraft Centre in Lansing Township.n2001: GM announces it will

phase out the poor-selling Eldorado.n2001: Cadillac opens a $560 million

plant in Lansing as part of a $5 billionoverhaul of the division that includes awhole new stable of vehicles.

At Lansings Capital City Airport, we appreciate the value of quality transportation.

Welcome General Motors and the new Cadillac CTS.

Another Partner

in First Class!


11/12


Sam Hart, President;Tom Boensch, Secretary/Treasurer

Thank you, General Motors,for choosing the members of the Michigan State

Building and Construction Trades Council to buildyour state-of-the-art $500 million Lansing GrandRiver Assembly Plant.

When General Motors decided to construct their new world class LansingGrand River Assembly Plant, it chose 1,700 members of the Michigan StateBuilding and Construction Trades Council to get the job done.

Building trades union members learn their skills in the most modern appren-

tice training facilities in the nation. These training facilities are industry-financed and funded at no cost to Michigan taxpayers.

General Motors knew building trades union members wouldcomplete the new plant on time, safely and within budget,and get the job done right the first time.

Members of the Michigan State Building and Construction Trades Council areyour neighbors and friends who take pride in building the foundation that impacts our daily lives. You seetheir work everywherein the schools and universities our children attend, the buildings we work in, thestores we shop at and the roads on which we travel.

Building trades union members are skilled experts who receive excellent pay, securehealth care coverage and strong retirement plans that allow them to retire with dignity.

Building trades unions are comprised of the following crafts:

Building Trade Union Contact Telephone

Asbestos Workers Local 47 Greg Revard 989-799-5780

Boilermakers Local 169 John Marek 313-584-8520

Bricklayers Local 9 Jim Bitzer 517-886-9781

Electricians Local 665 Bill Patrick 517-393-5530

Elevator Constructors Local 85 Andre Schirk 517-882-0100

Glaziers Local 826 Dennis Redinger 517-663-9132

Iron Workers Local 25 Art Ellul 517-882-3078

Laborers Local 998 Dale Brzezinski 517-393-9464

Operating Engineers Local 324 Ken Petrie 517-393-0400

Plasterers & Cement Masons Local 16 Greg Brisboy 517-882-3931

Painters Local 845 Ray Whitaker 517-882-3701

Roofers Local 70 Tom Curry 517-548-6554

Sheet Metal Workers Local 7 Mark Chivington 517-374-7337

Teamsters Local 580 George Warner 517-887-2944

Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 333 Jim Davis 517-393-5480

Michigan construction is the opportunity industry.Building trades unions are building Michigans future today.

Cadillac CTS built at GMs Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant


12/12

www.lsj.com14T Sunday, November 11, 2001 Lansing State Journal

Available starting January 2002. 2001 GM Corp. All rights reserved. Cadillac

Cadillac badgeTM CTSTM

ITS SOUL IS ALREADY LEGENDARY. EVERYTHING ELSE IS DESTINED TO BE.

2003CTS.COM

A world-class team and a world-class product. Congratulations to

Lansing Grand River Assembly. Its history in the making.

lansing grand river plant opening

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