The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (2009 TV)

Documentary focuses on the workers of the General Motors Assembly Plant in Moraine, Ohio -- which opened in 1981, and churned out an average of 280,000 small trucks and SUVs a year -- from the announcement a year ago that the Plant will be closing, to its last day on December 23, 2008, just two days before Christmas. While the workers are shocked that they will be losing their jobs, we quickly see they are also losing much more: the pride they share in their work, the camaraderie built through the years, and the shared concerns about what their collective futures will hold. As the major industry in Moraine closes its doors for good, many see its demise as an indication of the changing American manufacturing landscape, which seems to be dying as products are increasingly being made elsewhere. The film offers a snapshot of a moment in America where we may be seeing the end of the blue-collar middle class.

• documentary
• drama