General Motors Corp. is planning to slash another 10,000 salaried jobs this year, saying the cuts are unavoidable with a government restructuring deadline looming and industrywide sales in one of the worst downturns in history. The Detroit-based automaker said Tuesday it will reduce its total number of white-collar workers by 14 percent to 63,000. About 3,400, or 12 percent, of GM's 29,500 salaried US jobs will be eliminated. Most of the company's remaining salaried employees will have their wages cut. In its plan to Congress submitted late last year, GM said it would have to reduce both salaried and hourly positions so that the company could become viable long-term. The company plans to reduce its total US work force from 96,537 people in 2008 to between 65,000 and 75,000 in 2012, but did not specify how many of the surviving jobs will be salaried or hourly. GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner, meeting with congressional leaders in Washington about global warming legislation, said Tuesday's announcement is “indicative of the kind of things we need to do to get this viability plan in shape and respond to these tough market conditions.” GM has dramatically downsized both its salaried and hourly work forces in recent years as the US auto market has shrunk from an annual sales rate of around 16 million vehicles to 13.2 million last year.
