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As of a week ago, 714 had signed on to GM‘s attrition program. Willis forecasts the final count at between 800 and 850, Doraville doing its share to advance the company toward its goal of shaving 30,000 manufacturing jobs by 2008.

For many, especially the graybeards, it‘s a ―duh‖ decision. Many have socked away enough earnings to kick back while still in their 50s. Some welcome the nudge into second careers.

For others, an exit strategy has not come easily. Departing workers shy of 27 years‘ experience would forfeit all benefits other than vested pension, a scary proposition in a period of mounting health costs.

And the hangers-on cannot be certain when the plant will get unplugged. GM will not confirm the commonly accepted summer-of-2008 projection for closing. Once the facility goes dark, workers would face transfers to other cities.

Assessing the tense times, Willis cites two heart attacks and a stroke, none fatal, among workers. Another turns violently ill at the mention of the topic.

―Stress,‖ he explains. ―Some are so fraught with anxiety on the choices, it‘s taking a heavy emotional toll on them.‖

At the workplace, ―There‘s lots of tension, lots of distraction‖ says team leader Harold Marshall, 51, determined to reach his 30th anniversary on the plant floor in 2008, then bolt to coach basketball for a living. ―People are doing well to keep it down, but it‘s underneath the surface.‖

Ron Lockhart, 55, a preventative management coordinator, hears in almost every conversation ―the big question: What are you gonna do?‘‖ Lockhart‘s stock answer: ―I‘m straddling the fence, with one foot on the ground.‖ Meaning he‘s tilted toward the retirement camp after 33 years, so he can turn a moonlighting gig, photographing weddings and sports, into full-time.

Some workers hold out hope for a plant life beyond mid-2008, but the poorly performing GM minivan segment makes for iffy prospects. On May 22, Willis reports, assembly will scale back from 54 to 42 vehicles per hour, a consequence of diminished market demands.

―No surprise; the competition is crushing them,‖ says auto industry analyst Catherine Madden of Global Insight, listing Toyota, Honda and Daimler-Chrysler as the sector‘s heavyweights. ―They‘re not expected to turn upward anytime soon.‖

The slowdown was to have triggered 490 layoffs of indefinite length, Willis says, but the early retirements and buyouts should render those unneeded.

Some workers were spooked last week by rumors that an entire shift would be eliminated. Gloomy gossip is integral to auto plants. ―The rumor that seems to stick,‖ Willis says, ―is always the darkest.‖

Pamela Kyle, 38, has made her choice. ―I‘m gonna hang in there,‖ says the sixth-year utility operator, a single mother with three kids. ―I do believe General Motors will compete [again]. I want to be there for that day.‖

Worker worries seep out in several areas. Yet Willis detects an inner peace among those who view the closing as an opportunity, particularly the 800 or so are headed for the door. It‘s a peace that he senses is spreading. ―The positive attitude,‖ he says, ―is greater than the doom and gloom.‖

11. GM offers several ways for the workers to choose EXCEPT

A. shepherding 2,700 employees.

B. running into retirement.

C. switching to a new career.

D. keeping work with GM.