Everything You Ever Wished For, And Then Some...

I realize that most everyone believes that the decision to close our plant was sealed during the 2007 GM-UAW negotiations. I, myself, believe that the final decision was made during those talks. However, several decisions were made LONG before those contract negotiations that put us on our current path. As early as 2006, GM announced an investment of more than $400 million in the retooling of the Spring Hill plant. As we know, that retooling would ultimately result in Spring Hill producing the Chevy Traverse. The Chevy Traverse is the logical successor to the Chevy Trailblazer. General Motors ended up spending over $600 million and idled the Spring Hill plant for nearly a year in order to accomplish this retooling. It is fairly well known that GM could have built the Traverse here in Moraine for pennies on the dollar compared to the massive rebuild necessary in TN. In fact, several members of upper management have confirmed that initial preparations for the then unnamed Traverse were being made here in Moraine as early as 2005....well before the UAW had their chance to kill us. Why then did we lose this product?? Who dropped the ball?? What determining factors led GM to decide it better to spend hundreds of millions in Tennessee rather than tens of millions here in Ohio??

Years from now, when i look back at my days at Moraine Assembly, this missed opportunity will continue to haunt me. I don't know what happened. I certainly don't know what would have happened. Maybe we survive. Maybe UAW kills us anyway. Its over and done with so i know there is no point in playing the coulda/shoulda/woulda game. That said, it still stings when i see this..........