Linden Assembly

Linden Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory in Linden, New Jersey. The plant operated from 1937 to 2005 and made cars, trucks and SUVs for various GM automotive divisions.

History

The 2,600,000-square-foot (240,000 m2) factory opened in 1937 to build Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile vehicles from "knock down kits". During World War II, the plant was also used to produce fighter planes for the United States military, primarily the FM Wildcat, an improved version of the F4F Wildcat, as it is adjacent to the Linden Airport. After automobile production resumed, it was under the management of GM's newly created Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division created in 1945. By the 1970s, the plant was producing luxury models from Buick, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile. In the mid-1980s, the factory was retooled to produce the new L-body Chevrolet Beretta and Corsica.

Beginning in September 1991, the facility was idled and retooled for truck and sport utility vehicle assembly.[1] The workers who accepted a severance package were pleased to leave, whereas the staying workers were displeased.[2][3][4]

After reopening in 1993, it produced the Chevrolet S-10, GMC Sonoma, Chevrolet Blazer, and GMC Jimmy models. In February 2002, GM announced plans to shut down the plant in 2004, though the closure date changed after negotiations with the state government and union.[5] A white 2005 Blazer was the last vehicle to leave the line on April 20, 2005.[6]

In July 2007, GM and the City of Linden settled numerous tax appeals going back to 1983; Linden agreeing to pay GM $4.8 million and clearing the way for the sale and subsequent redevelopment of the 104-acre (0.42 km2) site. The property was sold for $77 million on February 1, 2008 to Duke Realty, which redeveloped the facility as an industrial and retail site called Legacy Commerce Center. Most of the former factory structures were demolished by August 2008.[7]

Products

Cars


Trucks and SUVs

See also

References
  1. 1993 Ward's Automotive Yearbook. Detroit: Ward's Reports. p. 101.
  2. Milkman, Ruth (1997). Farewell to the Factory: Auto Workers in the Late Twentieth Century. University of California Press. ISBN 0520206789.
  3. Eaton, Adrienne E. "Review: Farewell to theFactory: Auto Workers in the Late Twentieth Century." Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 51:3 (April 1998); Harris, Howard. "Review: Farewell to the Factory: Auto Workers in the Late Twentieth Century." Labor Studies Journal. January 1999.
  4. "Farewell to the Factory". GoodReads. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  5. Smothers, Ronald (September 19, 2003). "G.M. Plant Will Remain Open Until 2007, Union Says". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
  6. Morley, Hugh R. (April 21, 2005). "The End of a Long Line". The Record. Bergen County, NJ. p. A1.
  7. Friedman, Alexi (August 31, 2008). "Former GM plant is razed for Linden 'renaissance'". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2009-03-29.

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