Business

OP-ED: Upholding Our Values and Standing Against Discrimination

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I’m outraged that anyone at Toledo Transmission – or any facility – would ever face threats or discrimination. My heart goes out to anyone who was touched by this bigotry. This is not who we are. I and the entire leadership team at GM, condemn – in the strongest possible terms – any type of intimidating or intolerant behavior…” — Gerald Johnson, General Motors North America Vice President of Manufacturing & Labor

Published

7 years ago

February 12, 2019

Oakland Post

General Motors Vice President Operational Excellence Gerald Johnson at the GM Global Headquarters Wednesday, April 12, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for General Motors)

By Gerald Johnson, General Motors North America Vice President of Manufacturing & Labor

Recently, the Toledo Blade and other media outlets have reported on racial discrimination issues at Toledo Transmission. I am General Motors’ vice president of North American Manufacturing. The plant in Toledo is under my team’s supervision. I want the city of Toledo and the African American community to know exactly how I feel about this situation personally and professionally, and I want to reaffirm our values as a company and the stand we maintain against discrimination.

I’m outraged that anyone at Toledo Transmission – or any facility – would ever face threats or discrimination. My heart goes out to anyone who was touched by this bigotry. This is not who we are. I and the entire leadership team at GM, condemn – in the strongest possible terms – any type of intimidating or intolerant behavior. If we find that someone has engaged in such discriminatory behavior and violated our no-tolerance policy, we will terminate them. We are proud of the culture of diversity and inclusiveness that we enjoy and we plan to protect it.

From the news reports, I understand some people are questioning how the issues have been dealt with at the plant. Even before the media coverage started, my team had been working aggressively to address these issues since they were reported internally. Here are a few important actions we have taken:

We immediately investigated the issues and took action to remove any offensive material. Sadly, we have not found the culprits in all cases but we continue to investigate. In addition, we have and are taking additional steps to ensure that no such conduct happens again, and that we find those responsible for such acts.
We have engaged law enforcement and engaged a handwriting expert.
We have also reiterated our strong anti-harassment/anti-discrimination stance to all employees and we are working with outside experts on additional training to reinforce our policies.
We have provided additional security, cameras and support to employees expressing concern for their safety.
We have stopped production at the plant across all shifts to conduct mandatory anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training for all employees in Toledo.
We have rolled out this training across the country in manufacturing and non-manufacturing sites with 50,000 of our people attending in-person sessions in 2018.
We reiterated our promise that employees can report any concerns, without fear of retaliation, and we provide multiple ways for them to do so safely and anonymously.

Recently, we met with Rev. Jesse Jackson and influential members of the Black, Hispanic and Asian Pacific Congressional Caucuses to discuss ideas to strengthen our diversity and inclusion efforts.

We believe in our workforce. The bad actions of one or a few do NOT represent the people of Toledo Transmission, the surrounding Northwest Ohio community nor GM in total. Every day, 99 percent of GM employees show up to work with a spirit of teamwork, helping one another build great products for our customers. Our company has a strong record of diversity and inclusion – I know this personally as a 38-year employee who has worked in six plants during my career.

Everyone at GM is expected to uphold a set of values that are integral to the fabric of our culture. That culture is predicated on an environment that is safe, open and inclusive. We have zero tolerance for behavior that does not live up to these values.

We believe discrimination is unacceptable – anytime, anyplace. My leadership commitment to our organization is that I will do everything I can to insure these values are maintained and protected. I expect the same commitment from leaders across our business. Together, we can aggressively address these issues and prevent such behavior from ever occurring at our workplaces.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 22, 2026

Oakland Post

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Advice

Financial Wellness and Mental Health: Managing Money Stress in College 

While everyone’s financial situation is unique, several common sources of stress have the potential to strain your financial health. These include financial and economic uncertainty, existing debts, unexpected expenses, and mental or physical health changes. Financial stress may differ from situation to situation, but understanding the factors contributing to yours may help you begin to craft a plan for your unique circumstances.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sponsored by JPMorganChase

As a college student, managing financial responsibilities can be stressful.

If you’ve found yourself staying up late thinking about your finances or just feeling anxious overall about your financial future, you’re not alone. In one survey, 78% of college students who reported financial stress had negative impacts on their mental health, and 59% considered dropping out. While finances can impact overall stress, taking steps to manage your finances can support your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

When it comes to money, the sources of stress may look different for each student, but identifying the underlying causes and setting goals accordingly may help you feel more confident about your financial future.

Consider these strategies to help improve your financial wellness and reduce stress.

Understand what causes financial stress

2. Determine your financial priorities

Start by reflecting on your financial priorities. For students this often includes paying for school or paying off student loans, studying abroad, saving for spring break, building an emergency fund, paying down credit card debt or buying a car. Name the milestones that are most important to you, and plan accordingly.

3. Create a plan and stick to it

While setting actionable goals starts you on the journey to better financial health, it’s essential to craft a plan to follow through. Identifying and committing to a savings plan may give you a greater sense of control over your finances, which may help reduce your stress. Creating and sticking to a budget allows you to better track where your money is going so you may spend less and save more.

4. Pay down debt

Many students have some form of debt and want to make progress toward reducing their debt obligations. One option is the debt avalanche method, which focuses on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first, then moving on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Another is the debt snowball method, which builds momentum by paying off your smallest debt balance, and then working your way up to the largest amounts.

5. Build your financial resilience

Some financial stress may be inevitable, but building financial resilience may allow you to overcome obstacles more easily. The more you learn about managing your money, for instance, the more prepared you’ll feel if the unexpected happens. Growing your emergency savings also may increase resilience since you’ll be more financially prepared to cover unexpected expenses or pay your living expenses.

6. Seek help and support

Many colleges have resources to help students experiencing financial stress, like financial literacy courses or funds that provide some assistance for students in need. Talk to your admissions counselor or advisor about your concerns, and they can direct you to sources of support. Your school’s counseling center can also be a great resource for mental health assistance if you’re struggling with financial stress.

The bottom line

Financial stress can affect college students’ health and wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to derail your dreams. Setting smart financial goals and developing simple plans to achieve them may help ease your stress. Revisit and adjust your plan as needed to ensure it continues to work for you, and seek additional support on campus as needed to help keep you on track.

 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC