05/31/2026
March 16, 1989
The team at the Janesville Assembly Plant was involved in producing Chevy CK crew cabs, intended for RV and commercial truck manufacturers.
My father, Paul Mezera, stands behind the driver's door, while Dave Kelm is positioned underneath the truck, and his colleague Bob T. is located just beneath the bumper, as shown in a photograph from the GM photo store. On this date, the last quality RV truck was produced in Janesville.
After this, the production of commercial pickups at the GM plant ceased, and preparations began for the assembly of medium-duty trucks, which were scheduled to start in August. Initially, it was estimated that the medium-duty truck production would require between 1,200 and 1,800 jobs; however, it ultimately only needed 1,200 to 1,400 workers, assuming two shifts were in operation. The expected second shift never came to fruition, leading to a shift from a line that once supported 1,800 jobs to one that now offered only 800 positions.
photo up-scaled by me
