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This past spring, General Motors announced it will be closing the 48-year old plant located in Massena, New York. By Christmas time next year, close to 500 workers will have relocated to places like Toledo, Ohio, taken retirement, or separated from General Motors completely. By the end of the restructuring process set in motion at GM, hundreds of families will be putting their children in different school districts, spending their money in new communities, or looking for work.

“I wish everyone knew that UAW workers in Massena are people with families – not just statistics, not just numbers to be layed off. Every one of us has feelings; we care about each other and about everyone in the community.  We are all going through a grieving process because of the loss of our jobs.  People need to know that we are the most important part of the Massena plant.  Without UAW members, GM would be nothing.” -Georgia Bell, Lost Foam Tech

The Workforce Development Institute has been working with UAW members in Massena to help them tell their stories through photographs and writing.  They have been participating in the region’s first ever unseenamerica NYS workshop – a program that gives cameras and photography lessons to scores of workers nationwide.  This project gives those that are unseen the tools and opportunities to become seen.  The result is a rich and unexpected portrait of life as an auto worker in Massena, as told by the workers themselves.  unseenamerica NYS: Pictures & Stories by The Workers & Family of UAW Local 465 offers more than a glimpse into life as a General Motors employee – these are the stories of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and grandparents who work hard to care for their families and community. 

Listen to more of the story, which aired on NPR’s North Country affiliate.

unseenamerica NYS is underwritten by the Workforce Development Institute (WDI).  This project is a collaboration of WDI, the NYS AFL-CIO, Bread and Roses Cultural Project of 1199 SEIU, and United Auto Workers Local 465.  For more information contact Erin Shannon at 518.272.3500 or eshannon@wdiny.org.  www.wdiny.org or www.bread-and-roses.com