Remaining 500 employees will punch out for the last time on Wednesday afternoon
Five hundred workers at General Motors in Windsor will punch out for the last time on Wednesday as the company closes its transmission plant, the last of the automotive giant’s facilities that once employed 7,000 people in the city. GM used to be one of Windsor’s biggest employers, but dwindled over the years to just one remaining plant. In May 2008, the company eliminated 1,400 jobs in Windsor and announced it would close the transmission plant by the end of this month. Despite the grim news, employees persevered. In November 2009, even after they knew their plant would be closing, workers raised $160,000 for the local chapter of the United Way—15 per cent more than what they raised in 2008. GM still operates plants in Ingersoll, St. Catharines and Oshawa, Ont.