LORDSTOWN, Ohio—More than 200 students, teachers, and General Motors workers rallied at Lordstown
High School Jan. 24, part of the Drive It Home Ohio coalition’s campaign to persuade General Motors to keep its Lordstown factory open instead of closing it in March. Many said the closing would devastate the community by forcing people to leave. Lordstown High School senior Alexis Phillips said some of her friends’ families have already put their houses up for sale. “Families will be torn apart. Friends will lose friends,” said Alyssa Brookbank, president of Lordstown Teachers Association Local 3789. “We want GM to bring back a new product for the Lordstown facility.” “GM is an American company. The bailout means it has a long-term obligation, not just to its shareholders, but to all Americans,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten told the crowd. Ten-year-old Brian Davis, whose father has worked at GM Lordstown since 2001 and whose mother is a teacher, had a similar message. “We bailed you out, and your way of thanking us is to close the plant,” he said, drawing applause. GM did not send a representative. Read more
