AUTO INDUSTRY/BUSINESS/JOBS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Layoffs for about 4,000 salaried staff at General Motors are due to start Monday [2-4-19]– a previously announced move that comes just as President Donald Trump prepares to trumpet American manufacturing at next week’s State of the Union address. The layoffs are part of a 15% reduction in white collar jobs in North America that the automaker first announced back in November. At the same time, it announced plans to close four US plants as well as a fifth in Canada. The job cuts and plant closings are part of ongoing cost reductions to free up $6 billion annually to invest in a new generation of autos, such as electric and self-driving vehicles. It is also making a push to develop a ride hailing service that will allow GM to make more money by selling rides to customers rather than vehicles. But the move enraged Trump, who repeatedly lambasted GM CEO Mary Barra over the decision. In his rebuke of GM, Trump focused on the closures in Ohio, a state he won in the 2016 election.”
–Chris Isidore and Kevin Liptak, “GM to start laying off 4,000 salaried workers on Monday,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, February 1, 2019 5:48 pm