FREMONT, Calif. (AP) -- Production at California's sole remaining auto plant is winding down, as the Fremont facility prepares to close next Thursday.
Parts of the New United Motor Manufacturing, or NUMMI, plant have finished work ahead of schedule and are shutting down this week. The early layoff took some employees by surprise when they showed up to work Thursday and were told there was nothing left to do.
NUMMI officials say all full-time employees still will be paid through April 1.
NUMMI began 25 years ago as a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors Co. GM pulled out last year, and Toyota later announced it would halt production, eliminating 4,700 jobs.
The plant's closure is the latest blow to the state's struggling manufacturing sector, which has lost nearly a fifth of its work force over the past five years.
