General Motors Corp.'s German division and labor unions agreed to cut the working hours and pay of thousands at Adam Opel AG's plant in an effort to save jobs and the unprofitable company. Germany's economy has faced falling demand for the country's big carmakers at home and fierce competition in the United States and other markets abroad. Labor unions praised the deal as a way to safeguard jobs.
See "GM Unions Set to Ax Hours at German Plant", The New York Times, November 3, 2003