CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- General Motors has offered union workers at the automaker's soon-to-be idled Spring Hill assembly plant 840 jobs in Lansing Delta Township, Mich., where GM is relocating production of the Chevrolet Traverse.

More than 2,000 GM workers will be idled when assembly lines at GM's plant south of Nashville shut down Nov. 25.

United Auto Workers Local 1853 President Mike O'Rourke said Thursday that a GM offer for some UAW workers to move was expected, but the 775 production and 65 skilled trades jobs are a "very positive number" for Spring Hill workers.

GM spokesman Chris Lee confirmed the offer, saying "840 slots have been identified to be filled allowing for transfer of Spring Hill employees" for third-shift jobs.

O'Rourke predicts 840 Spring Hill workers will go. "For some folks it's going home and for some others it's I've got to feed my family," O'Rourke said.

He said about 175 workers at Spring Hill already accepted offers to transfer to GM's Fairfax plant at Kansas City, Kan., where the Chevrolet Malibu and the new Buick LaCrosse are built.

Of more than 2,000 GM assembly line workers in jobs that are being idled, Local 1853 spokesman Todd Horton said about 800 workers are remaining indefinitely in steel stamping and power train jobs that GM is continuing at Spring Hill.

Horton said the offers for workers to relocate to Michigan and other plants are based on seniority.

UAW workers who do not relocate and are idled after Nov. 25 get at least 39 weeks of their full pay and another 39 weeks of half pay, Horton said. Workers with at least 20 years experience get 52 weeks of full pay and another 52 weeks of half pay.