[Mr. Wyndham]

Yep:

GM’s Tonawanda plant revving up for automaker’s 100th anniversary

General Motors’ Town of Tonawanda engine plant this week will celebrate the automaker’s 100th birthday, with a fund-raising gala on Friday and a classic car show and parade on Saturday.

The events, organized by plant management and United Auto Workers Local 774, will recognize GM’s long history, including the 70th anniversary of the Tonawanda plant and its impact on Western New York, said plant manager Steve Finch.

Friday’s 6 p. m. to 9 p. m. event, for which tickets are required, is a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society in the site’s Plant 5 on Vulcan Street. The featured speaker will be Troy Clarke, president of GM North America.

The event will include a display of 100 vehicles representing GM’s history in automaking, including a vehicle from as long ago as 1915. An art exhibit will feature the works of the late Thomas Sgovio, a former GM employee. About 400 people are expected to attend the gala, Finch said.

On Saturday, the UAW and GM will hold their 20th annual classic car show and auto expo at the Tonawanda site’s Plant 1 on River Road, from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Admission is free and more than 400 cars will be displayed.

Also Saturday, at 9:30 a. m., is a parade featuring 100 vintage vehicles, 100 Harley-Davidson motorcycles and the Army National Color Guard. The parade will proceed from Plant 5 to Riverside Park to the car show and auto expo at Plant 1.

Sal Morana, president of UAW 774, said events are a reminder of how the automaker has endured despite difficult obstacles.

“I think it’s a milestone for the corporation overall that should be greatly celebrated, especially with the state of the industry,” Morana said.

GM and other automakers have been plagued by slumping auto sales and high gas prices. Earlier this year, many of GM’s assembly operations were disrupted by a strike at supplier American Axle & Manufacturing. In a push to cut costs, GM has reduced its work force through retirements and buyout packages. About 360 workers at the Tonawanda plant left via those offers.

Even so, the Tonawanda engine plant remains a significant economic force in Buffalo Niagara, employing about 1,150 hourly workers and 230 salaried workers. The site has been recognized for having a cooperative relationship between its management and union, and has posted strong marks in the annual Harbour Report scorecard of industry plants.

While Finch and Morana both say the plant has benefited from good management-labor relations and its success in attracting new work, they also say they don’t take anything for granted about the plant’s future.

Morana said the work force knows the plant must keep meeting GM standards in areas like safety and quality in order to remain viable.

Finch said the workers have proven cooperative as the plant continues to try to win additional engine lines.

But nothing about the Camaro....I sure hope you're Dad's friend is right!!! How cool would that be?