General Motors Corporation (GM) — Corporate Overview

General Motors Corporation (GM — founded 1908 by William C. Durant; headquartered Detroit MI at the Renaissance Center and historic GM Building) was for most of the 20th century the largest U.S. automaker and one of the largest industrial enterprises in the world. Through the asbestos era GM operated a vast national manufacturing footprint spanning Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Cadillac, GMC Truck, Fisher Body, AC Spark Plug, Delco, Frigidaire, Detroit Diesel, Allison, and Electro-Motive Division (EMD) plants — including vehicle assembly halls, Fisher Body stamping plants, iron and aluminum foundries, engine and transmission plants, forge shops, and locomotive assembly at EMD LaGrange IL and McCook IL.

Premises Description

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that pre-1980 General Motors assembly, stamping, foundry, forge, powertrain, and locomotive plant premises allegedly involved asbestos through:

  • Asbestos pipe covering on assembly-plant paint-oven steam lines, powerhouse steam mains, and process piping
  • Asbestos-block lagging on stamping-plant heat-treat furnaces, foundry cupolas, and ladle preheaters
  • Asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in body-shop welding cabinet switchgear and motor-control centers
  • Sprayed asbestos fireproofing on multi-story assembly halls, Fisher Body plants, and powertrain buildings (pre-1973 EPA ban)
  • Foundry asbestos-refractory ladle mud, tundish liners, and mold coatings at iron and aluminum foundries
  • Powerhouse asbestos-block boiler lagging, refractory firebox linings, and asbestos-packed valve stems
  • Brake shoe and clutch friction assembly rooms with allegedly brake- and clutch-dust exposures
  • Asbestos-fabric expansion joints on paint-oven exhaust ducts and powerhouse steam ducts
  • Asbestos gaskets on Detroit Diesel and EMD locomotive engine head, exhaust manifold, and turbo mounting flanges

The GM Electro-Motive Division (EMD) LaGrange IL and McCook IL locomotive plants — the leading U.S. builder of diesel-electric freight and passenger locomotives — allegedly involved asbestos in EMD 567, 645, and 710 engine gaskets, exhaust manifold packing, and traction-motor commutator arc chutes.

General Motors Corporation has been named as a Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly worked at GM plants across the network — including Flint MI (Buick City, Chevrolet Flint Truck, AC Spark Plug), Detroit MI (Cadillac Clark Street, Fleetwood, Poletown, Hamtramck), Warren MI (Tech Center), Pontiac MI (Fisher Body, Truck & Coach), Lansing MI (Oldsmobile), Saginaw MI (Grey Iron Foundry, Nodular Iron), Ypsilanti MI (Hydra-matic Willow Run), Kansas City KS (Fairfax Assembly), Kansas City MO (Leeds Assembly, Fairfax), Wentzville MO, Arlington TX, Fort Wayne IN, Marion IN, Spring Hill TN, Bowling Green KY, LaGrange IL EMD, McCook IL, Janesville WI, Oshawa (via Fisher Body), Lordstown OH, Parma OH, Mansfield OH, Dayton OH (Delco, Moraine, Inland), Rochester NY (Rochester Products, Delco Products), Tonawanda NY (Engine Plant), Baltimore MD, Wilmington DE, Framingham MA, Van Nuys CA (South Gate, Fremont), Doraville GA, and elsewhere — in trades including:

  • UAW production and skilled-trades workforce (assembly-line operators, millwrights, electricians, pipefitters, tool-and-die makers, machine repair)
  • Insulators (HFIAW Local members) applying and removing asbestos pipe covering, block, and sprayed fireproofing on GM steam lines, paint ovens, and structural steel
  • Pipefitters (UA Local members) breaking asbestos-gasketed flanges on paint-oven headers, powerhouse steam mains, and process piping
  • Boilermakers (IBB Local members) servicing GM powerhouse boilers and stamping-plant heat-treat equipment
  • Sheet metal workers (SMART) on paint-booth and paint-oven duct systems
  • Foundry workers at Saginaw Grey Iron, Central Foundry Danville IL, Defiance OH, Massena NY, and Tonawanda casting operations
  • EMD locomotive assemblers and testers at LaGrange IL and McCook IL working around EMD 567/645/710 engine gaskets and exhaust systems
  • Contractor trade workers dispatched to GM construction, capital projects, expansions, and turnarounds

If You Worked at a General Motors Plant

If you or a family member worked at a General Motors assembly plant, Fisher Body stamping plant, foundry, forge, powertrain plant, EMD locomotive plant, or any other GM facility — during the asbestos era, as a GM/UAW employee or as a dispatched contractor trade worker — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Plants by State

General Motors Corporation operated plants across multiple U.S. states. Detailed premises information is available on the following state jobsite pages: