Autoworkers see livelihoods evaporate

DETROIT, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Workers in the U.S. automotive industry are facing tough choices in a year of repeated setbacks that just seem to get worse, workers said.

Workers are facing job buyout plans or layoffs. And now, as General Motors Corp. contemplates buying Chrysler LLC, industry analysts speculate the deal could wipe out 30,000 more jobs, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.

"This is not a corporate event. This is a human event," said Molly Shor, 39, who used to describe her family as a Chrysler family, the Free press reported.

"This is not just a merger or an acquisition or right-sizing or even the evolution of a company. This is happening to this community," she said.

In Michigan, Gov. Jennifer Granholm is organizing a job training program "to ensure that we are ready to help citizens who will be affected by any announcements," said Liz Boyd, the governor's spokeswoman.

Sue Rolph, who works at the Wayne Assembly Plant, which makes the Ford Focus, said she warned her daughter, not to count on the industry.

"These jobs are going to be on the wayside," she said. "We try to encourage them to go back to school."