General Motors is preparing for a workforce reduction at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas, impacting 1,695 employees over the next several months as part of a planned retooling effort for electric vehicle production.
The automaker confirmed two waves of layoffs will begin Nov. 18 in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice first reported by Automotive News.
The first phase of layoffs will affect 686 full-time employees temporarily, while 250 temporary workers will see their positions terminated. A second round is slated for Jan. 12, 2025, when an additional 759 full-time employees will be temporarily laid off.
The cuts come as GM prepares to pause production of the Cadillac XT4, a luxury SUV, until late 2025, when the automaker will introduce both the XT4 and Chevrolet Bolt EV on the same assembly line.
"As previously announced in May, GM is investing approximately $390 million in our Fairfax Assembly Plant to add production of the new Chevrolet Bolt EV," a company spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Reuters. "To facilitate the installation of new tooling, employees will be placed on a temporary layoff until production resumes in mid-2025."
The Fairfax plant layoffs follow other reductions in GM’s workforce, including the company's decision in August to lay off more than 1,000 salaried employees across its software and service units globally.
