LORDSTOWN, Ohio - Back in April General Motors announced it would be eliminating a second shift at the Lordstown plant.  

That means the workforce is going to be cut in half from 3,000 workers to 1,500. 

An early retirement or buyout option was offered to eligible employees.

The numbers taking that offer keep changing because workers still have the opportunity to change their minds.

While the deadline was supposed to be Friday at 3 p.m., workers who sign up still have another seven days to re-think this life-changing decision.

For every worker that takes the package, someone who thought they were going to be laid off when the second shift is eliminated would be able to keep their job.

Right now, 455 production workers have signed up along with 128 in the trades, that includes people like electricians and pipe fitters at the plant.  

The program is also available at the GM Parma metal center.  So far there, 29 on production and 40 in trades have signed up.  Laid off Lordstown workers would be able to replace jobs there.  

In total, so far, that's 652 that could take the deal.

UAW Local 112 President David Green said they should have final numbers by June 8th. "You have a seven day grace period from the time you sign. So the first people who signed when this first came out, they had seven days to remove their name. The people who signed up today will have seven days to remove their name," said Green.

So the final numbers could go below those totals.  

Production workers who retire would get a cash payment of $60,000. Those taking a buyout would get a declining scale depending on their years of service.  The scale starts at $50,000 for 20 years or more down to $5,000 for less than five years service.

Green says it's a very difficult decision for these workers to make and one that will change their lives as well as the future of the plant.

"A lot of the people who are signing up for this attrition are going to be gone July 1st. Obviously, it's going to be a change in culture at our plant for sure," added Green.

GM has also delayed the elimination of the second shift by a week.
The first day of just one shift will begin June 25th.