Congressman Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) and a host of UAW autoworkers on June 23 delivered 20,000 online signatures to General Motors' Renaissance Center headquarters, imploring the automaker to build a subcompact car at its Orion Twp. assembly plant in Oakland County, rather than in Tennessee or Wisconsin.

The photo op may or may not have had any effect - but two days later, GM announced that it had in fact chosen the Orion Twp. plant to build the car. The decision preserves about 1,200 jobs. The plant currently manufactures the Pontiac G6 and the Chevrolet Malibu, but with the Pontiac brand being phased out, the plant will have the room for another vehicle.

The signatures were presented to Beth Lowrey, GM's vice president for environment, engineering and safety, in the automaker's Renaissance Center headquarters.

"It's important for GM to know that there is overwhelming community support for them to make it in Michigan," Peters said. The Orion Twp. plant currently employs about 3,400 workers. Adding the subcompact car line at the plant would help offset the closing of seven scheduled GM plant closings in Michigan.

Lowrey thanked the group for presenting the signatures, but at the time offered no guarantees. "We will make our decision based on facts and business reasons," she said. Business reasons indeed: with some sweet tax abatements, GM could end up saving as much as $100 million over 25 years in state and local taxes, according to published reports.

Said  UAW member Robert Patton, who works at the Orion plant:"They say it will be a business decision. Well, it will have a very important impact on the community, restaurants, stores, everybody,   It's very important that we get this car manufactured here."

One automotive analyst suggested that GM's decision might have taken care of a little political "business" as well. Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker was an outspoken opponent of bailout money for Detroit automakers earlier this year - despite the presence of GM's Saturn operations in his home state. Turns out Spring Hill, Tennessee was one of the two losers in GM's decision.