AM General to Cut Jobs

AM General is a name that many of you may not know, so before we talk about the job cuts being made by the organization lets take a look at how they have chosen to describe themselves, “AM General designs, engineers, manufactures, supplies and supports specialized vehicles for commercial and military customers. The AM General business units also include two wholly owned subsidiaries, General Engine Products, a diesel engine manufacturer, and General Transmission Products, an automatic transmission manufacturer. As original designer and manufacturer of the famous HMMWV (Humvee®) and HUMMER® H1 vehicles, and contract assembler of the H2, MV-1 and Ford Transit Connect Electric, AM General has more than six decades of experience meeting the changing needs of the defense and automotive industries, supported by approximately 2,000 employees at major facilities in Ind., Mich., and Ohio, and a strong supplier base that stretches across 43 states.”

The company may or may not be making a mass layoff action. For the time being the company will not confirm a specific number on the amount of layoffs, but some sources close to the company are speculating that it is close to 100 workers that are being cut by the company. If this is true, then a mass layoff action is in the works. For those of you who are not familiar with the idea of a mass layoff action here is a look at how the company chooses to describe itself, “The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program collects reports on mass layoff actions that result in workers being separated from their jobs. Monthly mass layoff numbers are from establishments which have at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) filed against them during a 5-week period. Extended mass layoff numbers (issued quarterly) are from a subset of such establishments—where private sector nonfarm employers indicate that 50 or more workers were separated from their jobs for at least 31 days.”

Interestingly enough the company, in its most recent release, chose to highlight HUMVEE kits  instead of the job cuts it was making, “AM General today announced the launch of a new program to sell civilian HUMVEE kits comprised of certain military-style HUMVEE body and chassis components minus the powertrain. Initial orders for this one-of-a-kind kit are now being taken at the newly launched HUMVEE C-Series web site, genuinehumveekit.com, for the base price of $59,995.00. The HUMVEE C-Series Kit will offer the best in industry mobility technology with a host of off-road ready options, including AM General’s Central Tire Inflation System, electronic locking differentials and others. The initial C-Series offering is a soft top body style. “All the basics for the kit are supplied, including an aircraft-quality aluminum riveted body, an exceptionally durable chassis and a basic soft top structure,” said William Thompson, HUMVEE C-Series Kit Program Manager.”

For now there is no word on the types of positions that the company or the specifics of the severance packages that they may be offering to the soon to be displaced workers.