General Motors Corp. says it will cut 2,000 jobs at plants in Michigan and Ohio, and it will halt production for several weeks at nine plants over the next six months due to slow sales.

GM spokesman Chris Lee said Monday that the company will eliminate the second shift at its Delta Township plant near Lansing, Mich., on March 30, and the second shift at its Lordstown, Ohio, plant will end April 6.

About 1,200 workers will be laid off at the Michigan plant, while 800 jobs will be cut in Ohio.

Lee says the cuts are part of the Detroit automaker’s continuing efforts to “align production with market demand.”

The plant shutdowns come about a month after GM temporarily closed 20 factories across North America due to dramatically weaker automobile demand. Some were closed for the entire month of January.