I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Economics
Report.
General Motors lost almost eleven thousand million dollars
last year. Now the cost-cutting efforts of the world's largest automaker are
gaining speed.
Last week, talks with the United Auto Workers union resulted in a major deal.
G.M. agreed to offer buyouts to 131 thousand factory workers. No one knows how
many will accept. The deal affects hourly workers at G.M. and its biggest parts
supplier, Delphi.
A buyout is an offer of money, and sometimes other terms, if an employee will
agree to leave a job or retire early.
Workers at G.M. who are too young to retire are being offered as much
as 140 thousand dollars to accept the buyout. They would lose things like
their health care plans. Older workers are being offered smaller payments but
the chance to retire early under G.M.'s retirement program.
Buyouts are costly, but G.M. hopes to save money in the long term. Its share
of the American car market has been shrinking for years. The offer is part of a
plan announced last June to cut thirty thousand jobs through 2008.
The deal with the union does not involve supervisors or others who earn a
salary instead of an hourly wage. The company wants to cut up to seven percent
of its non-hourly workers this year. On Tuesday G.M. cut several hundred
salaried jobs.
G.M. is trying to do something that several steel makers and airline
companies have tried but failed to do. It is trying to restructure without
seeking bankruptcy court protection from its creditors.
The company is moving to reduce its interests in some businesses it owns or
controls. G.M. says it sold 78 percent of G.M.A.C. Commercial Holding on
March 23 to three investment companies. The deal is worth almost nine thousand
million dollars.
G.M. also has agreed to sell its 8 percent share in the Japanese
carmaker Isuzu.
And the company wants to sell a large share of its financing company that
provides loans for cars, homes and businesses. G.M has been in talks to sell
fifty-one percent to Cerberus Capital Management in a deal estimated at eleven
thousand million dollars.
This week General Motors released its yearly report which had been delayed.
The company restated several years of financial results.
This VOA Special English Economics Report was written by Mario Ritter.
Read and listen to our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.
