Major U.S. automakers are planning to reopen North American factories in mid-May, potentially putting thousands of workers back on the assembly line as part of a gradual return to normality.
General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler will reopen most plants starting May 18, including Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant.
Both the Torrence Avenue assembly plant on Chicago’s Southeast Side, and Ford’s stamping plant in Chicago Heights will reopen on that date with two shifts, Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said Thursday.
United Auto Workers Local 551, which represents workers at the plants, said in a Facebook post that the A and B crews will return May 18, with C crew scheduled to resume production June 15.
The assembly plant, which makes the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator and Police Interceptor SUVs, temporarily closed in March and about 5,600 workers were laid off.
Fiat Chrysler’s Belvidere Assembly plant, where the Jeep Cherokee is produced, is to reopen by June 1.
The automakers’ restart dates had been pushed back a number of times as the pandemic unfolded.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that her state’s manufacturers — which account for 19% of the state’s economy — can resume operations Monday, which is key for auto parts makers to resume a week ahead of the automakers’ planned phased-in restart. Factories must adopt measures to protect their workers, including daily entry screening and, once they are available, the use of no-touch thermometers.
Detroit automakers employ about 150,000 factory workers in the United States alone. Auto plants have been shut since mid-March because of the outbreak. At least 25 employees at auto facilities represented by the UAW have died as a result of COVID-19, although it’s not known if they were infected at work.
The UAW has agreed on safety procedures to protect workers. Under its contracts with Fiat Chrysler, General Motors and Ford, the companies have authority to pick restart dates. But the union can file grievances and seek closures if the virus spreads at factories.
The plant closures have cut off almost all revenue for the automakers, which count the money when vehicles are shipped to dealers.
Chicago Tribune’s Robert Channick and Ian Mitchell contributed, as did the Detroit Free Press, via Tribune Content Agency.
