COLUMBUS – Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown wants General Motors to explain why the company is laying off over 1,000 workers at its Chevy Cruze plant in Lordstown despite receiving tax cuts as part of a tax reform package passed by Congress last year.
The automaker announced it would eliminate a production shift at the plant, eliminating as many as 1,500 jobs, due to falling sales of compact cars.
In a letter to CEO Mary Barra, Brown urged GM to reverse their decision.
“This decision will be devastating to the families and communities of the workers whose lives will be impacted, and it is particularly galling after your company received massive tax benefits from the recent enactment of the corporate tax cut bill,” said Brown.
Brown says that, after the GOP Tax overhaul, GM’s tax rates were reduced from 35 percent to 21 percent.
“I urge you to reverse this decision and instead invest your tax windfall in the facility and workers in Lordstown,” he wrote.
In the letter, Brown demands answers to what impact the Lordstown layoffs will have on GM’s supply chain throughout the state and whether additional layoffs are expected.
The automaker says it will cut second shift operations at its Lordstown factory outside Cleveland by the end of June.
The automaker last year eliminated the plant’s third shift and stopped production altogether for several weeks during summer because of shifting demand from cars to trucks and SUVS.