General Motors buyouts may not succeed and layoffs loom

More: GM offers buyouts to 18,000 employees, but layoffs are possible

The meetings were provided for informational purposes and GM officials told employees: "No one will be pressured to sign up or fear getting fired or terminated if they do not work. 'not subscribe' says senior GM senior manager who spoke with several employees who attended the meetings.

"The leaders did not decide what they would do if they missed 7,000 points," the source said. They could start the process in mid-January for involuntary releases. . "

A spokesman for GM would not confirm that date, nor that GM would make involuntary cuts. He said he was not aware of any company-wide meeting last week. If there had been meetings, he would have been staffed by staff, he said. He also stated that he was unaware of any figure or goal that the company defined or would share with the workers.

GM said it was cutting costs due to rising commodity prices and capping car sales. For example, on October 31, Mary Barra, GM's CEO, sent an e-mail to all 50,000 GM employees in North America, indicating that the automaker offered voluntary buybacks to 17,700 employees who are 12 or older at GM. Most global executives are also eligible.

GM said if it could not achieve enough cost savings between redemptions and other cost-cutting measures, it could consider involuntary job cuts after the start of the year.

An advisor who worked with several GM employees and managers, said the selection process for voluntary and involuntary job cuts would unfold quickly.

"GM will complete voluntary purchases by November 29th. The officials with whom we spoke are already making their list and choosing their cuts in January, "said the advisor, who did not want to compromise the identity of its customers by having his name published.

He announced that on January 15th, GM would announce the deletion of involuntary posts and "get people out".

The repurchase packages include six months salary and six months of health care coverage, confirmed GM spokesman. Those who opt for the buyback have until the end of the year to continue with GM, severance pay taking effect January 1.

Six-month wages and six-month health care are the same compensation that would be paid to a GM employee with 12 years or more of experience if he was laid off without notice, GM employees said. This is why some members of society say that the interest in the buyout has been lukewarm.

GM said the move is underway to accelerate the development of electrified vehicles.

GM will "further integrate our Global Propulsion organization into vehicle engineering" and increase the total number of dedicated electric vehicle engineering resources, GM spokesman Mike Albano said in a statement .

More: Why GM moves 3,000 Pontiac workers to Warren

Economist Jon Gabrielsen, an automotive industry advisor, said he expects 7,000 payroll jobs to be removed from GM in the Detroit subway, "during a slowdown in the United States. automotive over the next two to three years, and another 7,000 hours per hour depending on the decrease in sales. "

The UAW contract for workers at the time with Detroit automakers expires in September 2019.

Crosstown's rival, Ford, is also working to reduce its workforce. Ford has not specified the number of jobs that will be removed or the period covered by his plan of "fitness" of $ 11 billion.