GM White Collar Cull Revealed

One of our Best and Brightest forwarded GM’s letter to the white collar workers targeted for elimination (by October), along with a pdf of the Retirement Package [ download here]:

Dear U.S. Classified Salaried Employees:

On June 1, Fritz Henderson shared the company’s plans to reduce an additional 4,000 salaried employees from our U.S. workforce. This news was particularly difficult to hear, considering we had just undergone a significant staffing reduction in May. We can assure you that these organizational restructuring and reduction decisions were made after serious deliberation and necessitated by the unprecedented business realities facing GM.

Right now, each function is reviewing their organizational structure and staffing to determine how best to achieve their targets while maintaining our focus on customers, technology, great cars and trucks, and respect for our employees. The majority of these reductions will be effective on October 1 and notifications will take place just prior to that date. We will continue to utilize the GM Severance Program (GMSP) to achieve the reductions, but we are pleased to share that employees meeting certain age and service criteria that are selected as part of this reduction in workforce will have an additional option to consider under a Salaried Retirement Program Window plan. The attached document contains complete details, but in general, employees who meet certain age and credited service criteria and are separated as part of the GMSP may elect one of two options:

Employees who do not meet window eligibility or voluntary retirement criteria and are selected as part of the workforce reduction will be eligible for severance benefits under the GMSP. Additionally, employees interested in the GMSP, whether because of the severance payments or the enhanced retirement provisions, will be given an opportunity to formally express interest in the program to their leadership. If their expression of interest fits with the overall goal of the program as determined by their leadership, such employees will be able to work with their supervisor to determine an appropriate last day of work.

While these are difficult actions, we hope that the ability to provide a window retirement option to certain eligible employees will provide additional opportunities that some employees will find attractive. Should you have any questions after reading the attached document, we encourage you to talk with your local HR professional.

Thank you for your continued hard work during this most important time.

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