P.M. BRIEFING : GM to Lay Off 7,200 Truck Makers
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From Times Wire Services
DETROIT — General Motors Corp. said today it will temporarily idle three U.S. factories that produce light trucks because of soft sales.
The plants set to close for the week of Aug. 28 are in Shreveport, La.; Pontiac, Mich., and Moraine, Ohio. They make compact pickups for Chevrolet and GMC and such sports utility vehicles as the Chevrolet Blazer. GM said 7,200 workers will be laid off.
“The (light truck) market has gotten a little soft in the past couple of weeks,” said GM Truck and Bus Group spokesman Tom Klipstine.
Year-to-date sales of domestic-built compact pick-ups fell 7.1% from the same period last year, according to Ward’s Automotive Reports.
