The president of the United Auto Workers Local 1714, David Green, sees the end of Cobalt production as bittersweet.
“It’s a bit eerie walking through and you see there’s nobody working on the jobs that they’ve been on for six years, the parts are all stripped out. However, we’ve got a bright future here.”
Lordstown began producing the Cobalt in 2004, following a three year struggle to win the production bid over other GM plants. After realizing their mutual interest during the Cobalt bid rally, historically tense relations between Lordstown plant managers and union officials finally eased. Green hopes that the mutual cooperation will continue during the production of the Cruze.
The production of the Cruze and the Eco Cruze coincides with GM's drive to manufacture more environmentally friendly vehicles. The plant will start turning out the new Cruze next month.