European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 19, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thes amp is vol. 50, no. 250 350 thursday december 19,1091 0 8693 am plans massive layoffs in Effort to reverse losses eggering i lists to shift workers file out of the general motors Plant at Moraine Ohio which is targeted for closing. Detroit apr general motors corp. Said wednesday it will close 21 North american plants Over the next four years and slash thousands of jobs in a sweeping restructuring of the worlds largest company. The moves Are intended to reverse Gmys stat North american losses estimated by Auto analysts be Between $5 billion and $6 billion a year or about $15 million a Day. A general motors will run its business in an increasingly lean and responsive manner a pm chairman Robert c. Stempl said calling the moves Quot fundamental changes in the Way general motors docs  the Plant closings include six vehicle Assembly plants four powertrain plants and ii component plants. Stempel said Gmys capital spending will be Cut in 1992 and 1993, but that this will not reduce the company a ability a to achieve and maintain a Strong position in the  in addition to the Plant closings the company will accelerate a White Collar Job reduction program that eliminated 6,000 jobs this year. An additional 9,400 salaried jobs Are to be eliminated in 1992 through attrition and a new Early retirement program. Pm also plans to reduce its hourly work Force by 15,000 people through attrition and retirement next year. That could be on top of the number of layoffs caused by Plant closings. The Assembly Plant closings arc Likely to affect supplier plants inside and outside the Mammoth automaker boosting the number of layoffs. Gmys goal is to Stop a Cash Haemorrhage in its Core automotive operations. Profits in Gmys computer services electronics and finance subsidiaries have helped the automaker but not see pm on Page 2road Bill Means jobs jobs jobs Bush says Euless Texas apr president Bush signed the new $151 billion Highway and transit Bill wednesday hailing it As a showcase for administration action to create thousands of jobs and get a recession bound Economy a on the  a a it a summed up by three words a jobs jobs jobs a Bush said As he signed a measure he said will a keep americans on the move As the 21st Century dawns. Bush said the new Bill will pump $11 billion into the National Economy immediately and initially will support More than 600,000 jobs. He signed the Bill at a construction site on Texas Highway 360 near the Dallas fort Worth International Airport. The $30 million construction project will support 150 of those jobs Bush promised. Bush said the Economy clearly is in trouble and having difficulty emerging from the recession. The president s move to give the six year authorization Bill a High profile launching came As a poll showed his approval rating dropping to 47 percent the lowest of his administration and a sign of trouble less than a year from the 1992 election. Although some administration officials say the Bill will create up to 2 million jobs Over its six year life the measure also is being applauded for the new directions it takes on cleaning the environment con serving Energy promoting traffic safety and beautifying the nations highways. The measure has provisions effectively freezing the spread of Long double and triple trailer trucks promoting the use of High technology to ease traffic congestion opening the Way for . Investment in toll roads and Bridges and furthering the development of High Speed trains. It also gives states unprecedented flexibility to shift Highway Money to rapid transit systems to meet local transportation needs. And in an important change it places new emphasis on connecting the different modes of transportation in an Effort to ease the movement of people and Yeltsin s Russia chaotic aide says goods. The measure is financed by drawing Down the Highway Trust fund and by extending for four years half of last years Nickel a gallon increase in Federal gasoline taxes. Overall the measure authorizes $119.5 billion for highways and $31.5 billion for rapid transit a significant increase in Light of previous transit cuts during the Reagan administration. Under an agreement reached by House so Nat negotiators the Federal share of the costs will be 80 percent with states picking up the remaining 20 percent. Work to Complete the interstate Highway system will continue on a 90-10 basis. Inside today s paper Moscow a Boris Yeltsin a vice president has mounted a stinging attack on his Boss charging that the russian government is a rudderless disorganized a hotbed of  the attack by Alexander Rutski widened the split in the top russian leadership and threatened the stability of Yeltsin a government As he tries to found a new Commonwealth of Independent states to replace the soviet Union. Rutski stepped up his criticism of Yeltsin s Radical economic Reform program and told Nezah Samaya gazeta the Independent newspaper that he has not been Able to talk frankly with the russian president for six months. The vice president an Afghanistan War hero with wide support in the military and among former members of the now banned communist party accused Yeltsin of trying to run the russian government single hand edly. A there is no governing Power and no democracy in Russia today a he was quoted on wednesday As saying. He said there was a a switch Hunt against former communist party officials Banning them from russian government jobs. But he said he has no plans to resign As vice president. Yeltsin and soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev agreed tuesday to dissolve the soviet Union by years end soviet Media said. It was decided that the soviet Central government ministries and departments will either be dismantled or be Given to Russia. It reportedly was agreed that the Kremlin a the ancient fortress in the heart of Moscow a would be transferred see Russia on Page 2a stars and stripes Magazine touring the Vosges St. Nicholas comes to town