Picture Show: The Last Days of General Motors in Moraine, Ohio
- Posted by: Patrick James , Sarina Finkelstein
- on February 4, 2009 at 12:38 pm
On December 23, 2008, the General Motors assembly plant in Moraine, Ohio, shut its doors. It was the last plant in the Dayton, Ohio, area to do so. The photographer Sarina Finkelstein has captured images of the plant and surrounding area, as well as some of the workers who were laid off that day. The following photographs offer a glimpse into a new reality for Moraine—one defined by hardship, resilience, and the end of an era.
The Moraine Assembly permanently closed up shop on December 23, 2008.
Jody Jackson, 34, worked in the factory’s trim department (on windshield wipers and door frames) for nearly 14 years. From where he stands on his porch, he can see the GM facility.
Jody and his wife, Hilda, have two children and have been together for nine years. They were married four days after the plant closed.
Gate 6 at the plant is one of many no longer in use.
Kate Geiger had been a material group leader in the rail dock for 24 years. Because of her leadership position, she was allowed to take the red tool box home.
The framed photo of the Chevy Trailblazer was part of the GM memorabilia auction for charity during the factory’s final days.
Birds fill the air above an outdoor area of the plant.
Shawn “Snake” Berry, 37, was a team leader who began working for GM 14 years ago. His father worked for GM for 36 years before retiring last June.
Snake, shown here with his wife, Tracy, and son, Mason (one of his two), plans to attend the Hobard Institute of Welding to earn welding certification.
The parking lot outside the facility is full of new cars and SUVs that haven’t shipped because of the closure.
Teri Jenning, 50, has worked in the motor line assembly for 14 years. She hopes to go back to school to study nursing.
Teri and her husband, David, have two children.
The Upper Deck Tavern is situated just across the street from the plant. Business has slowed considerably since the closure.
Sitting inside the otherwise empty Upper Deck Tavern, Mark Krug, 52, drove a forklift, worked on the muffler line, and performed quality control for 16 years. He hopes to find a job at another GM facility in order to work the necessary two more years to secure his desired retirement plan.
See more from Sarina Finkelstein here.
A version of this piece appeared on page 60 of GOOD 015: The Transportation Issue.
DISCUSSION: 12 Comments
Hate to see all these good people lose their jobs. They hopefully had the good sense to save some money over the years. They were paid very well, and if they don’t have money to see them through this, they should be ashamed of themselves. GM paid them very well, probably too well. It’s the folks that have lost their ten dollar an hour jobs that are really in trouble. Hope this all works out for everyone.
GM paid these “good people” too well? id like to see anyone who believes that work thirty years in an assembly plant. the $6000/hr CEO is the one who should feel shame.
I’m sorry to see people out of work because I come from a working class background. However, “Snake’s” display of his confederate flag makes me feel nothing for his loss as it’s a symbol of division and malice. It does however make me worry about what kind of values he’s teaching his kids who are my future too.
Were they allowed to take pay cuts to keep the plant in operation? The most expensive part of a manufacturing plant is the people. Yeah, I know that the top management get paid way too well especially considering the results of their management. But my experience is that unions refuse to allow paycuts, thus forcing layoffs in an effort to keep costs down. Anyone else with similar or different experiences with this?
It is funny that we (the working people) are so ready to blame unions, hourly wages that may seem high relative to our own wages, when we should be blaming the people making money off our labor. Those who will not suffer from The disaster their own greed has created. It is human nature to attack those at our own level or below it because we feel powerless to go after those who are to blame.
My father was a GM worker for 28 years when the Framingham, MA plant closed in the late 80s. Workers needed 30 years to get their pension…so many of the guys moved on to other plants, seeing their families only on the weekends. A few years after the close, my dad was lucky enough to get another GM job with a local parts plant to get those two years in. Though, I’m not sure what that pension does for him these days. I’m not sure who the anonymous poster is here who states that “GM paid them very well, probably too well,” however—from what I’ve known of my father’s and other worker’s pay over the years…it certainly wasn’t ‘too well.’ When I look at the desk job I come to every day, and know that I make twice as much as my father ever did even after THIRTY years of service…come on now….
+ a huge thank you to Patrick and Sarina for their capturing this important story. Bringing in the personal side to these huge societal shifts and perceptions is an exceptional talent. A huge thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I worked in this plant and can tell you that we did everything that the company asked of us. These were hard working people that did what was asked of them and are out of a job anyway. For those who say we were paid too well, I suggest you go work an assembly line for one day and I’m sure you’d change your mind!
The more money you make the more money you spend. Thanks for diplaying some of my old friends from GM. My grandfather, my parents, and my uncles all retired from this plant and now my husband and I are out too. GM will be missed dearly especially the pay, the friends, and the feeling of doing something important everyday. I am proud of what I did and the product we made! Thanks GM for all you have done for my family, I just wish there could of been more!
jealously will get you no where
Go figure all the vehicles siiting in the lot picture are the gas guzzling TrailBlazers. They got gready they should have made more fuel effecientcars instead of high profit models like the SUV’s. And then to make 4 of the same suv’s but brand them differently is stupid. Too many brands but all the models underneath.
Car commpanies make wheat people want.. in japan, people wanted the Prius, so it was made.. for JAPAN.IN the US, people wanted SUV’s, so Toyota opened a plant making the worst in class(MPG) TundraMaking 4 vehicles with almost the same innnards was Roger Smith’s idea I believe.. The company has made some cars that should not have bene made, but the ones out now are good looking with good fuel economy.. Even the trucks and suv’s that GM has now have surprisingly good fuel economy and believe it or not, some of us NEED bigger vehicles because we work with our vehicles.