After entering bankruptcy in an agreement to receive another $30 billion in bailout funds from the federal government, U.S. Judge Robert Gerber oversaw the bankruptcy filing. He immediately gave GM access to $15 billion of the funds and handed out the rest on June 25th. This bailout gave the American taxpayers a 60% stake in the company, with the other 40% divided up between the UAW, GM’s creditors, and the Canadian government. These stakes came at a price. The federal government and GM had to get multiple concessions from the unions and major bondholders in the last few weeks before the bankruptcy was filed. Oddly, the other unions that represented GM workers, like the local IUE, received no stake in the company for their current and retired members.
GM lost its position on the Dow Jones, when the Dow announced that GM stock would no longer be traded after closing at an unbelievable .75 cents the Friday before the bankruptcy was announced. GM stock had been traded on the Dow since 1925.
Retirees were hit the hardest, especially those not in the UAW. 650,000 retirees and their families saw a hit to their health insurance benefits, although their pensions were saved. Local IUE union members, many forced into retirement with the closing of the Moraine Assembly Plant, saw a tremendous drop in their non-monetary retirement benefits because, unlike UAW retirees, the IUE did not have the membership to continue those benefits without the aid of GM.
It was reported that the “new” GM would emerge from bankruptcy with fewer plants, dealerships, debts, and other liabilities. Considering how much effort went into these deals with the unions and bondholders, it is odd to find that a search for property owned by GM in Montgomery County alone returns 19 pieces of property still in the possession of a bankrupt company. It has recently been reported that the City of Moraine has been trying to lure new business to the GM site but have been unable to find a buyer. In a normal bankruptcy I would think that the court would force GM to sell any property to pay back its creditors, thereby freeing up the closed Moraine Plant for new business in the City of Moraine.
To see the locations of the properties owned by GM in Montgomery County go to
To see the locations of the properties owned by GM in Montgomery County go to
http://www.mcrealestate.org/Search/GenericSearch.aspx?mode=OWNER and enter the name "General Motors" in the search box.
I didn't realize that there were more than one group of people that lost benefits. You don't really get to hear about what this does to the every day people as much as you do the CEO's. Nice blog.
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