American Axle seeks applicants amid strike

4/1/2008

DETROIT As General Motors Corp. continued to shut down assembly plants because of a United Auto Workers strike at supplier American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc., the supplier is trying to get job applicants.

GM shut down its Hamtramck Assembly Plant in Michigan and again kept about 1,000 employees on layoff at its Toledo Powertrain factory. In all, the automaker has 30 plants fully or partially shut because of parts shortages, affecting 39,000 GM hourly workers.

About 3,600 UAW workers at five American Axle plants walked off their jobs Feb. 26 in a wage and benefit dispute.

The company published an advertisement in a suburban Detroit newspaper for workers it said were for openings once current workers take buyouts.