Thailand: Auto Makers’ Reopening Complicated by Worker Absences Amid Covid Cases

• Jun 16, 2020

Auto makers are grappling with absent U.S. factory workers and Covid-19 cases at their reopened plants, complicating the companies’ efforts to recoup production lost to the pandemic.

The impact on output has been minimal as many plants aren’t yet operating at full capacity, the companies said. Still, the challenges have required auto makers to adjust shifts and add temporary workers. Such moves highlight the complexities businesses face upon reopening as they look to insulate their workplaces from potential outbreaks while restoring moneymaking operations after weeks of lockdown.

At major vehicle-assembly plants around the country, the number of workers calling out is running above normal, according to union officials representing the plants. Also, some employees have asked for work stoppages because of coronavirus concerns.

“When I woke up Monday morning we had one case. By [Wednesday] evening, we were up to five,” said Glenn Kage, president of United Auto Workers Local 2250, which represents workers at the General Motors Co. van and truck factory in Wentzville, Mo.

Plant workers asked GM management to close the facility to disinfect it–a request the company declined, he said.

A GM spokesman said the company’s strategy is to put people before production.

“If we can establish through testing, screening and contact tracing that the virus is not being spread in our facility, we don’t need to impact production,” he said.

The spokesman declined to comment about specific locations, but said it doesn’t believe there has been any transmission of the virus within its plants.

Meanwhile, auto workers, like those in other industries, also are making their own tough decisions on returning to work while protecting themselves and their families.

These anxieties come after car companies spent weeks rejiggering workplace protocols at factories to implement new safety measures, including requiring workers to wear face masks and installing plastic dividers between workstations.

At Ford Motor Co.’s truck plant in Kentucky, around 15% of the plant’s roughly 8,600 employees aren’t coming to work each day, a figure that is higher than normal, according to a union official representing factory workers.

At the company’s pickup-truck plant in Dearborn, Mich., the local union filed a grievance last month asking the company to close the plant for 24 hours and disinfect it if a worker on-site tests positive for the virus. The plant has continued operations and the grievance is still in process, according to a UAW official at the factory.

A Ford spokeswoman said the company has worked with the UAW and medical experts on safety protocols and said it was hiring additional temporary workers to cover an expected increase in absences.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has had factory workers test positive for the virus, a spokeswoman said. The company has responded with efforts to curb the spread and remains vigilant in enforcing safety measures, she added.

Workers at a GM pickup-truck plant in Fort Wayne, Ind., also have recently tested positive, union officials said.

Toyota Motor Corp., whose U.S. factories aren’t union-represented, said about 40 U.S. plant workers have tested positive for the virus since it restarted operations in May.

While the company isn’t being challenged by worker absences–many of its plants are still running limited schedules–it expects to use more temporary workers to fill in for missing employees as it reaches full production, a spokesman said.

It is unclear whether factory employees with recent confirmed Covid-19 cases were infected while on the job.

Auto makers are under pressure to crank up output at their plants, many of which reopened mid-May, as inventories run low on dealer lots and their ability to generate cash has been hobbled by a nearly two-month shutdown.

Executives at GM and Ford have said they are prioritizing their most profitable vehicles, large pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles, after sales bounced back stronger than expected in April and May.

Ford’s chief operating officer, Jim Farley, said the company aims to return its factory staffing to pre-pandemic levels by July 6. GM CEO Mary Barra said the company has brought most U.S. factory workers back already and is aiming to restore production levels to normal by month’s end.

Fiat Chrysler said 85% of its U.S. factory workers were back on the job by early June.

Since the reopening, auto assembly factories have had a few interruptions. A handful of positive Covid-19 cases briefly suspended work at Ford’s SUV plant in Chicago and a truck factory in Michigan last month. GM had to delay plans to restore some factories to full production, due in part to supply-chain issues.

A UAW spokesman said health and safety are primary concerns and that workers need to feel comfortable staying away from the workplace to protect themselves, families and colleagues.

The union has been working with the car companies and its local leadership to ensure protocols are being followed, but it continues to look for ways to enhance safety measures, including pressing for more comprehensive testing as it becomes available, the spokesman said.

At Ford’s truck plant in Louisville, Ky., which reopened in May, around 1,300 of the plant’s roughly 8,600 workers miss work on an average day, said Todd Dunn, president of the UAW’s local at the plant, which makes super-duty pickup trucks and large SUVs.

Most of the extra absences are due to virus-related issues like being unable to get child care or living with people who have higher risk factors from the virus, he said.

The company has been pulling workers from the third shift to cover the first two, as well as hiring hundreds of temporary workers to fill in on the line, Mr. Dunn said.

Meanwhile, at a GM engine factory in suburban Detroit, about 8% of the workforce have been out sick in recent days, a higher rate than normal, said Ralph Morris Jr., president of the union local that represents the factory’s roughly 1,400 workers.

Bonnie Giboyeaux, who works there and has an 11-year-old son with asthma, said she is stressed because some co-workers are lax about wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer and disinfecting their work stations.

“Some people aren’t taking it as seriously as others,” she said.

Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1935428/auto-makers-reopening-complicated-by-worker-absences-amid-covid-cases