GM
GM vowed Factory Zero would lead America's EV future — now, less than five years later, it runs at half capacity. (PHOTO: Company Man/YouTube)

General Motors' Factory Zero assembly plant, once hailed as the flagship of America's electric vehicle revolution, resumes production today under dramatically reduced circumstances.

The Detroit-Hamtramck facility is now operating at just half capacity following the permanent layoff of 1,140 hourly workers, according to a WARN Act notice filed with Michigan's Department of Labour and Economic Opportunity. Employees are now questioning whether their union has abandoned them altogether.

'We're all backed into a corner right now and we got no help from the United Auto Workers (UAW),' a Factory Zero worker told the World Socialist Web Site. 'That's really how it feels out on the plant floor. We work hard to make these companies money, and we get the short end of the stick every time.'

What the Layoffs Mean for You

The cuts at Factory Zero are not isolated. They signal a broader retreat from the ambitious electric vehicle promises made by automakers to both workers and consumers, raising concerns about job security across the manufacturing sector.

GM cited 'slower near-term EV adoption' as the reason for the production schedule adjustment, according to the state filing dated 20 November 2025. Company officials initially described the layoffs as temporary in October, but the official WARN notice confirmed they are permanent. The plant, which produces the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Cadillac Escalade IQ, and Hummer EV models, now operates on a single shift instead of two.

For workers who endured years of gruelling schedules, the reversal feels like a betrayal.

'When they started the plant back up in 2021 up until the last year, we worked mandatory six days a week, 10 hours a day, almost 12 hours a day,' the worker explained to WSWS. 'Some departments, seven days a week, 12 hours a day. When did it ever become healthy for an employee to work this much?'

Union Under Fire

The United Auto Workers has faced mounting criticism for its silence as job cuts accelerate across the industry. Workers say efforts to raise concerns with union representatives are met with hostility rather than support.

'If you ask a union representative about it, immediately you're almost blacklisted,' the Factory Zero employee said. 'You're looked down upon as the black sheep because you're trying to fight the agenda that is being pushed.'

The frustration has prompted some workers to question whether their union membership is still worthwhile.

'I know a lot of people that are saying, there's no point in paying union dues because we're not getting represented properly,' he added. 'They're not doing anything for us. They're giving away our skilled trades work. They're not standing up for us when we run into safety issues, quality issues, or when workers have to purchase our own tools to build the company's car.'

Broader Industry Fallout

The layoffs extend well beyond Factory Zero. GM has placed more than 2,000 workers on temporary or indefinite layoff at its Ultium Cells battery plants in Lordstown, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, according to WSWS. Supplier plants have also announced hundreds of job cuts linked to reduced EV production, including 143 permanent layoffs at Avancez in Hazel Park, 133 at Autokinition across five Detroit locations, and 192 at Yanfeng in Romulus, as per Michigan WARN filings cited by CBS News.

Ford has cancelled production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup and shuttered its BlueOval SK battery joint venture in Kentucky, where 1,500 workers learned in mid-December that their $5.8 billion (£4.3 billion) facility was being dissolved just months after production had begun, WSWS reported.

According to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, US employers announced 1.17 million job cuts in 2025 — the highest total since 2020.

Tariffs Offer No Relief

Workers also dismissed claims that trade policies would protect American manufacturing jobs.

'The tariffs are not helping. We're not seeing anything good coming from that,' the Factory Zero employee said. 'You cut from Canada, you cut from Mexico, and say you're bringing jobs back. Where was any of that good grace that was promised?'

The experienced worker, who has transferred between seven GM plants over two decades—including now-shuttered facilities in Lordstown, Ohio, and Warren, Michigan—warned that the company could abandon the site altogether.

'I've seen it done many times. It is nothing for GM to shut these doors and gut this entire plant and be out and gone.'

As Factory Zero's remaining workers clock in today, they face an uncertain future. The promises of stable, high-quality manufacturing jobs have given way to layoffs, silence from union leadership, and a growing realisation that working people are being left to fend for themselves.

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