Arlington GM Workers Look to Washington for Help

GM, Arlington officials say rescue package will help ensure survival

The sport utility vehicles continue rolling off the line, but workers at General Motors' Arlington assembly plant said they don't know where the rocky road will lead.

Mike Cartwrigth, who's worked for GM for 23 years, said there's "just uncertainty."

"Everybody's got questions," he said. "Everybody wants to know what's going on."

Because GM scheduled two other SUV plants for closure, employees in Arlington had been putting in overtime making Tahoes, Yukons and Escalades.

On Tuesday, the company put a stop to the overtime, saying the credit crisis is to blame.

"We're building the product, but its sitting on the lot because we can't ship them, because the dealers can't get the funding," GM spokeswoman Wendi Sabo said.

Hundreds of workers attended a rally Tuesday afternoon to hear from business and city leaders who said they supported a rescue package for the auto industry.

Robert Sterns, of the city of Arlington, told workers the devastation of a plant closure would spread far beyond the city.

"GM is vital not just to Arlington, but to the rest of the Metroplex and Texas as well," he said.

Workers said they fear if the company is forced into bankruptcy, the plant will close.

The Arlington plant employs 2,500 workers with a combined yearly salary of more than $300 million.

GM and the United Auto Workers said they've both made major sacrifices to remain competitive, but the credit crisis is out of their control.

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