GM offers early retirement to salaried workers, some at Wentzville plant

General Motors Corp. is offering early retirement packages to a portion of its salaried work force in the United States, including some employees at its Wentzville assembly plant, a spokeswoman said today.

Sherrie Arb said the Detroit-based automaker began making offers on Monday. She said about 175 salaried employees work at the Wentzville location, where the GMC Savana and Chevy Express full-size vans are made, but she declined to say how many of those would be eligible for the offer.

Overall, GM has about 32,000 salaried workers nationwide. Arb also declined to say how many employees throughout the U.S. would be offered early-retirement packages. But Bloomberg reported today that the GM will make the offer to about 9,000 workers, or 28 percent of the salaried workforce.

GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson would not confirm that reported number and did not have details on the packages being offered.

Each employee has 45 days to consider the package once it is offered to them.

This most recent early-retirement offer is part of GM’s broader plan to reduce costs during a weak U.S. auto industry.