Chrysler and GM Bankruptcy Anniversary and a Mother's Fight for Life

It has been one full year now since Chrysler and GM bankruptcy by the government of the United States in an attempt to recover some of the $18 million in bailout funds that the company received. Chrysler and GM also owed money to past creditors such as JP Morgan Chase, and the government wanted to establish the bailout money as front of the line. According to Fox News in an article that reads "GM already has received $13.4 billion in government loans, while Chrysler has received $4 billion", Chrysler and GM were forced into bankruptcy because of the funds that were owed to Chase in addition to the government seeking fund recovery for the bailout money. The government must have not considered the problems that closing their doors would cause to the local economy. I have direct experience with the tragedy caused by the bankruptcy of Chrysler and GM because my mother worked at their plant in Detroit for the last six years.

My mother was the supervisor of the assembly line, and she worked for GM for the six years prior to the bankruptcy. Her name is Sylvia Del Rio, and she was out of a job once Chrysler and GM went bankrupt as were the other 211 workers at her plant alone. She suspects that over 1,500 people have lost their job because of the bankruptcy. She has many friends from working at the GM plant, and these people have worked there for more than 10 years. In many case, the skills they learned at working for GM is all they know how to do. They are still looking for employment within the automotive industry, but with the bankruptcy of Chrysler and GM it can be very hard to find employment in the field. My mother has been looking for a position in the automotive field for one year now, and she has not been able to find work.

She was able to get unemployment, but the checks that she was receiving were only a portion of her former checks and they stopping coming about five months ago. Her checks were $1,500 a month before the closing. Her unemployment checks were $700 a month, and that left her with only enough money to pay for her rent due to the $800 a month loss of income. She has been unable to buy medication that she needs to control her blood pressure, and she now suffers from depression. Not only did she lose the only source of income that she had known for six years, but she lost all of her friends that worked for Chrysler and GM.

She is too poor to be able to pay for the Avapro Oral medication that she needs for her blood pressure, and she no longer has any health insurance. The cost of the 120 count bottle is $550 for a one month supply. The company has not made any attempt to contact her or help in any way for the last year, and she is considering relocation to find automotive work in another state. However, that can be difficult when you don't know where your next meal is going to come from or if you can eat today at all. The company has done nothing within the last year to keep their operation moving forward within Detroit, and they have decided to keep these plants closed. That is something I do not agree with and feel GM should have done more to help their employees transition.