Company Town Relies on G.M. Long After Plants Have Closed
The New York Times, February 20th, 2006
ANDERSON, Ind., Feb. 16 — General Motors once had so many plants here that it had to stagger their schedules
so that the streets would not be clogged with traffic when the workday ended. At
the city's peak, 35 years ago, one of every three people in Anderson worked for
G.M.
Now there is not a single G.M. plant left, and just two parts plants that
G.M. once owned still survive. Anderson, about 50 miles northeast of
Indianapolis, had 70,000 people in 1970 and now has fewer than 58,000.
But in many ways, Anderson is still just as dependent on G.M. as it once was.
Only now, rather than being dependent on General Motors, the corporation, it is
dependent on General Motors, the welfare state.
The company's generous medical plans, prescription drug coverage, dental care
and pension checks are a lifeline for the 10,000 G.M. retirees and an untold
number of surviving spouses and other family members who still live in the
Anderson area.
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