Barra 'Will Not Rest' Until GM Culture Issues Resolved

Tomorrow, General Motors CEO Mary Barra will plead her company’s case to congress, and her prepared testimony has been released early.

This will be Barra’s second appearance before congress and it comes 11 weeks after her first visit, when she told investigators that she could not answer many of their questions. Since then, former U.S. attorney Anton Valukas has conducted a thorough investigation and released a 315-page report detailing the issues that led to the company selling cars with faulty ignition switches, linked to at least 13 deaths.

Now, Barra will outline all the steps that GM has taken, and will take to fix its issues and to ensure that nothing like this happens again. “The Valukas report, as you now know, is extremely thorough, brutally tough and deeply troubling. It paints a picture of an organization that failed to handle a complex safety issue in a responsible way,” reads the testimony.

SEE ALSO: GM Internal Investigation Uncovers Disturbing Details

Seven different actions taken by GM will be discussed by Barra, including the firing of 15 employees, the restructuring of safety practices and the enlistment of Ken Feinberg to issue compensation to families affected by the injuries caused by faulty ignition switches.

Anton Valukas will also testify alongside Barra, to share his findings. “We found failures throughout the company — including individual errors, poor management, byzantine committee structures, lack of training, and inadequate policies,” reads Valukas’ testimony.

In terms of future action, Barra has committed to acting on every single one of 90 recommendations laid out in the Valukas report.

“I know some of you are wondering about my commitment to solve the deep underlying cultural problems uncovered in this report. The answer is I will not rest until these problems are resolved. As I told our employees, I am not afraid of the truth,” Barra will tell congress.

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