Up to 20,000 employees displaced in plant shutdowns

DETROIT (AP) - GM says its decision to close nine more plants and idle three others will displace up to 20,000 employees.

The closings will trim down GM's factory count in the U.S. from 47 at the end of last year to 34 by the end of next year.

Six of the plants are in GM's home state of Michigan, which is already reeling from auto-industry job cuts.

The shutdowns start with an assembly plant in Delaware, which will close before the summer's over.

It will be followed by a Pontiac, Mich., pickup plant in October.

Nearly all of GM's plants were scheduled to shut down for up to 11 weeks this summer as a cost-cutting measure.

For now, the plants that will be shuttered are still churning out cars.

GM's VP of manufacturing says it's "business as usual" today.