There's a new casualty tonight in our struggling economy.
General Motors announced Tuesday that it's closing its plant in Moraine, just south of Dayton.
GM's CEO says this is part of the company's plan to shift away from trucks and SUVs.
Gas prices make the trucks and SUVs produced in Moraine less desirable.
This is more bad news for Tri-state workers.
The Ford plant in Batavia is set to close this month, leaving hundreds out of work.
A possible deal between DHL and UPS would eliminate 6,000 jobs in Wilmington.
The GM decision means 2,500 people – many of whom live in Butler, Warren and Hamilton counties – will have to find new jobs.
Vehicles like the Chevy Trailblazer and the GMC Envoy are produced in Moraine.
Employees talked about their concerns on what to do next at their shift change.
Phil Akers told 9News, "I worry about losing my house and taking care of my family."
A GM spokeswoman said at this point the plant shutdown will not affect the parts distribution center in West Chester.
About 100 people work there and there are plans to expand it.
The spokeswoman says the parts that come in and out of West Chester are for repairs, not for manufacturing.
Debbie Miller owns the Upper Deck, a restaurant across the street from the plant in Moraine.
"We have people from everywhere. Cincinnati, Kentucky, Warren County," Miller told 9News.
Miller said half of her business comes from plant workers, so this shut down could also put her out of work.
"I can't believe that before now, GM didn't get the drift that they need to to make a better gas economy car," said Miller. "I mean, people would be buying them up."
The company announced the Moraine plant will close by 2010, or earlier, if SUV purchases continue to drop.
Plants in Wisconsin, as well as in Canada and Mexico, will also close.
GM started offering buyouts or early retirement to thousands of workers earlier this year in an effort to hirer cheaper labor.
That offer is still out there for people who work in the Moraine plant.
The people who work there aren't surprised by the shutdown.
"We don't have a contract and that I mean, the company was never giving us any sign of a new product or anything," said Ron Green. "I just figured it was coming down the road."
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