150 jobs and V8 engine are off the line

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) - This means the end of the line for more than 150 jobs.

The GM Plant in Tonawanda will no longer produce the V-8 Engine. Workers had been building the "big block" engine since 1958, but it only accounted for three percent of the plant's annual output.

150 workers are saying goodbye to a milestone in General Motors history. As of Friday, December 18th, the GM Plant in Tonawanda rolled out its last V-8 engine. Workers were told the engine line was coming to an end back in June.

Plant Manager Steve Finch said, "I really, really do want to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to this product and to the quality of this product."

Finch and other company officials called the gathering a celebration to mark a milestone in General Motors' history.

"This engine has gone into some of GM's premiere vehicles over the years," said Finch. He added, "And it's also been one of the engines that's responsible for making General Motors name known outside of GM."

Workers shied away from talking to News 4 on camera. We do know the company's plan was to lay off 150 employees, but it turns out some of them will continue working.

Local 774 Chairman Bob Coleman explained, "We absorbed a lot of people in the other lines. We'd seen where the need was for the bodies probably about 50 people."

Workers have built 5.1 million engines since the line debuted and there's no doubt it has changed over the years, but just as the engine has changed, so has the economy and demand.

This engine accounted for only three percent of the plant's annual output. Steve Finch remains hopeful that more production requests will come to this Tonawanda plant.

"If you look at what our folks have done here in terms of the quality, productivity, the working relationship that we have," said Finch.