Workers, Ky. officials face uncertainty over GE operation

Word that General Electric Co. might shed its appliance division, headquartered in Louisville, sent ripples through the work force that reached city hall and the governor's office in Frankfort.

State and local officials met with GE executives Friday, then tried to put a positive face on the uncertainty at Appliance Park, an approximately 900-acre operation so big it has its own postal ZIP code.

"I think we've got a lot to sell, and we just need to take advantage of that opportunity," said Larry Hayes, secretary of Gov. Steve Beshear's executive cabinet.

"It's the hand we've been dealt, and now we need to play that hand as best we can."

Some GE workers said they were blindsided by the company's announcement and talked about tightening their belts amid the worries of keeping their jobs in a struggling economy.

"We don't have any idea who's coming in, what kind of salaries, how much of our benefits we're going to lose," said Ann Davidson, a production worker with 35 years at GE plants.

Davidson, whose husband, Bob, has worked at Appliance Park for nearly 39 years, said they would settle for a shorter summer vacation much closer to home rather than one they planned out West.

They'll also pretty much cut out eating at restaurants, she said.

"We don't know how much longer we're going to have a check coming in," she said.