Several 'Rosie the Riveters' return to former Willow Run bomber plant

The American Rosie the Riveter Association organized a trip during the weekend to the former Willow Run Bomber Plant, more recently a General Motors power train plant, for 27 “Rosies” who worked in war production at various factories during World War II.

According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, some of the women who worked at the plant during the war returned Saturday for the first time since it had ended.

The visit came just months before the plant — which built B-24 bombers during the war — likely will be demolished. General Motors built transmissions at the plant until its closing in 2010. The company’s bankruptcy trust is looking to tear down the factory to make the property more marketable for future development, according to the Free Press.

The Yankee Air Museum has launched a $5 million fundraising drive to save a small piece of the plant and convert it into a future home for the museum’s exhibits.

According to the Free Press story, the women recalled difficult but fair working conditions in the massive plant that at one point, employed 42,000 people.

Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Get in touch with Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2