GM Fires Furloughed Workers

One hundred furloughed workers at General Motors’ powertrain plant in Massena, New York have been told their jobs are gone for good.

GM had initially planned to close the plant last year. But with gas prices spiraling over the summer, the automaker decided to keep the Massena plant open until the middle of the year, because of increased demand for the parts it makes for fuel-efficient engines.

But in December the plant’s 156 workers were furloughed on the understanding they’d be brought back this month.

Now, the only ones who will remain employed are those in machining and testing. And they’ll still lose their jobs later this year when the entire plant closes.