GM is officially starting its 4,000-job layoff spree

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

published 4 February 2019

Despite President Trump's objections, General Motors' layoff spree is already underway.

The manufacturer began laying off about 4,000 salaried workers on Monday, a spokesperson tells the Detroit Free Press. Most of the cut jobs will be in North America, and this latest round of layoff announcements is expected to wrap up in the next two weeks.

The move comes after GM said it would close five factories and eliminate 14,000 jobs in Canada and the U.S. last November. Trump had some choice tweets for the manufacturer at the time and threatened to slash the company's subsidies. But that seemingly didn't stop GM from cutting its first round of 1,500 contract workers in December and handing buyouts to another 2,300 salaried workers, officials said Monday, per CNBC.

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A second round of layoffs launched on Monday, with most of the layoffs coming from GM's tech centers in Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan, Reuters reports. It's all part of GM's aim of cutting 15 percent of its 54,000 employees and saving $2.5 billion this year, the Free Press notes. Read more about the cuts — including how taxis were waiting to shuttle away laid-off employees who had to give up a company car — at the Detroit Free Press.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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