The world's largest automaker, General Motors Corp., is offering some of its nonunion, salaried workforce buyout and early retirement packages. The offers were made in an attempt to increase the normal amount of attrition of the company's 40,000 white-collar workers in North America. GM needs to reduce costs as it is under pressure to close plants and renegotiate union contracts, after forecasting its biggest quarterly loss in 13 years.
See "GM Offering Buyout Deals To Help Cut Rising Costs", John Stebbins, The Washington Post, March 20, 2005