GM denies rumors that Massena plant will not close

MASSENA — As gasoline prices continue to rise, so does the demand for cars with more efficient engines.

The General Motors Powertrain Division plant here makes components used in those engines, and there is speculation on the part of employees that the plant may not be closing as scheduled at the end of the year.

Though a company spokeswoman in Detroit has denied there will be any change in status for the plant, union officials are hoping for a reprieve.

GM announced in May 2007 that the plant would close by the end of 2008, and Linda A. Massena, communications manager for GM manufacturing and labor in Detroit, said the plant is scheduled to close as planned. The closure will eliminate more than 500 jobs.

Workers were offered transfer and retirement options or a complete severance of ties with the company. They had to select one of five options by May. According to United Auto Workers President Tony J. Arquiett, just under 100 opted for a transfer to another plant, 225 to 230 accepted retirement or a buyout and 200 chose to sever all ties.

Still, hope springs eternal.

"I don't know either way, but we make the four-cylinder engines that GM's going to need," says Raymond K. Thibault, vice president of UAW Local 465.

The closing process is under way. There have been no new hires in the plant that would enable it to continue operating into the new year, Mr. Thibault said. Ronald P. McDougall, president of the Central Trades and Labor Council, said temporary workers would have to be brought in.

"The domestic auto industry is in dire condition," Mr. McDougall said. "These rumors certainly add to the anxiety of the people we represent."

The Massena plant is part of a larger trend across the country. GM alone has downsized twice since 2006. That year, more than 34,000 people accepted buyouts, and 19,000 accepted them in May of this year with the second.

"The corporation's in a state of flux financially," Mr. Thibault said. "It seems like we as employees are last in getting the final word in life decisions."