Thread regarding General Motors layoffs

Please realize that GM was just a job and doesn’t define who you are as a person. Many of us were targeted for some time based on age, pay, medical, or other reasons. And some were just collateral damage to hide what they were really trying to accomplish. For me it s—ed and if this had only happened five years in the future I would have been ready to retire. But I am now at another company trying to learn their way of doing things. In most respects I am happy to have left GM. I was really ready, but sad to have had a long career there and for it to end that way. Keep your chin up. I do believe everything happens for a reason. You may not understand it now, but it will come to light someday.

I can’t believe it’s already been a year. I still have depression from it. I can’t count the number of times I wanted to end my life. My family, my health and my life has been impacted. I always had great reviews, loved my coworkers, loved GM. Was loyal and dedicated. So proud. What a complete slap in my face. I still remember driving out thinking great spend all that money on a new parking structure for who to park? I would have taken a pay cut.

Prior poster here. One last comment.

Worked along side of another GM lifer. Dedicated employee. Worked 30+ years, missed 3 days of sick time ever. Respectable, as I missed as much as that, in a month before due to complications.

He was fired/laid off/released before me.

The lesson is that no matter how hard you think you may work. No matter the loyalty you provide. You are both a number, and are expendable. Never forget that, else they will show you that one day.

Worked in the GM world for a few decades. Learned a lot, helped a lot, but always kept it solely as a job. If I didn't want to show up for work, made sure to make it so at a reasonable 95%-99% rate, but never felt that connection to the company. I knew how the revolving door worked at GM. Maybe call in once or twice a month at best, depending on how I felt that day. Did the work of more than one, expanded on efforts by training many dozens to become very successful employees. At the end of the day, earned the respect of nearly everyone I worked with. Just never felt that connection as a valuable contributor no matter how hard I applied.

As irony would have it, was finally let go after dozens of layoffs over decades. Walked with multiple patents, multiple endorsements, numerous merit increases of 20% plus, and was offered three job offers since. Took the one that offered 4-6 weeks paid vacation, walking in the door. You could imagine the salary and benefits among the competition. To top it off, have not missed a single day or hour in that time - for this company I find VALUABLE today. It's the difference of quality, over sub-par value. People actually retire hire, rather than being recycled at a moments whim.

GM did me a favor. They let me go, so they could hire two or three youth in my place. Why do something right once, when you can do it for three times the cost, three times over? That's GM silent and taboo motto, and it's been around for ages long before my time. Our legacy, ever since I've ever been employed at GM, is never buy GM. My children, and their children have adopted it. Our expanded family has adopted it. I didn't intend that, GM dealt those cards to me and it has become so, through THEIR actions.

Only this time around, karma finally caught up. Not only do I hold a financially significant hand today, they've alienated an entire lineage of customers from their lineup. The stories are catching up to them. Customers are talking. Nations are kicking them to the curb as they don't want their products (and they can't produce a profit), and people aren't buying GM garbage. It's only the US and the China market they hold today. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

GM will never get my business and I will take my friends and family away from them. Publicly, I do share their problems to discourage potential buyers.

Best of luck to you who are still searching. The jobs are out there. Share your skills with someone who deserves them.

I read the above and was also dismissed. It was shocking after more than 30 years and multiple patents floating down GM assembly lines as cost saving's, fuel economy improvements, lighter and better designs, etc. My performance easily paid for many people's lifetime salaries, including my bosses', in savings and royalties. What in the heck were they doing getting rid of talent?

I thought about it for about 3 days and realized my boss and his boss are parasites who could not have anyone around them who performs better than they do. The writing was on the wall that they had me in their sites for dismissal. Generally, it takes one pompous a– bad manager to promote another and the corporate slime grows. Hell, a technical discussion with one of these people is impossible without dubbing it down to a point they weren't whining about being confused.

I moved on from that environment and, even at my age, found a job I enjoy. I had three offers on the table and picked the fun one. Does it pay the fat check like GM? Hell no, close enough and I don't give a sh–! What I do now is also in automotive and in a similar field. This new company gets my new inventions and I will watch GM like a hawk and hope they try to steal one. As I understand it, GM continues to wallow in stupidity while STILL trying to figure out how and why my last projects are winning awards in publications. Their new truck got a predictable third place finish against their peers and it will eat profits as it continues to happen across other product lines. They will continue to shrink and lose good talent due to the work environment.

In the end, I still have great memories of my successes at GM. They will never get my business and I will take my friends and family away from them. Publicly, I do share their problems to discourage potential buyers.

I win just by being with a better company doing something I enjoy.

I work many more hours than I did at GM but with my OT and DT, I’m at +28-35,000 from my former base GM salary. It won’t be long that when my finances are in perfect order(6-8 months), my wife can be a stay at home mom again. So, the good is definitely outweighing the bad in my situation.

Hopeful for a better 2020

Some were lucky as to be released after Christmas. Many of the second tier citizens, aka contractors, were released in November. No company EVER hires immediately prior to a new year, and no one attempts to hire for at least two months following a new year. With unemployment set at ONLY five months due to the perception of a sound economy, you can do the math, and calculate the the tight time frame and need to find employment.

I consider myself lucky among my peers. As I've mentioned in prior topics, I walked away with 25% of my GM salary counterparts, with their letters of recommendations and endorsements, despite GM's policy never to endorse anyone. They gave GM a silent middle finger to that policy. In my tight timing, with countless endorsements, a few patents, and significant skills to back them up, I was fortunate to find three simultaneous offers among the best in the industry at the tenth or eleventh hour. Others I know, were not so lucky. While I am doing significantly better in every aspect not being with GM, lets not forget those that GM tossed to the wayside with complete disregard in GMs' approach, and timing. Some to this day are still not employed on par as to where they were.

People don't forget. They just learn to respond to situations. Despite my grand improvement in my financial situation, I will never, ever forget GM. I will never forget, Poletown, Flint, Pontiac, Warren, and the nearly constant annual contract removals, some large, some small. GM, alienating customers, and former employees for life. These aren't your customers of the future, nor will they ever be.

Ha ha, I do remember that day. It was awkward. A full of himself level9 gave me a note on a piece of paper to go in a room on tge floor.
My young manager did not show up at work that day, hiding far away nowhere to be seen. A no backer, ready to complain, overzealous with safety.

Today, not to say my job is better, but I got away from toxicity, sarcasm, hypercomplicated heavy process, inexperienced management and the list goes on and on.

It is refreshing to no more work in that prison of speech.

2/5/2019 will be the 1 year anniversary of dooms day for me. I'm still recovering. I keep weighing the ups and downs of their aweful decision. Although it could've been worst I'm still an emotional disaster. But I know greater things are coming.

Moving forward from that awful day, so many were drastically affected and still recovering. Restoration to all of you in 2020.

Yes, still remember that day right after the Super Bowl. It was a nightmare. They tried to hurt you as much as they can to save them more. Thank God, I got a new job 8 weeks after that horrible day.