DEARBORN, Mich. – After nearly two months, the Big Three will restart production Monday and thousands of line workers will be back on the job.
It won’t be business as usual -- GM, Ford and FCA have implemented new safety procedures to limit the possibility of COVID-19 exposure.
Update May 17 -- Michigan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases up to 51,142; Death toll now at 4,891
“We are targeting to restart the majority of our manufacturing operations in the US and Canada the week of May 18th,” said Ford CEO Jim Hackett.
That time has finally come and with much relief to some. The Big Three of the automotive industry will cautiously restart production Monday.
Extensive safety measures is what you’ll find at every single plant. Workers on the assembly line will be covered in PPE and standing further apart now more than ever because of social distancing. Hackett said that shouldn’t be a problem.
“Because we have these huge factories," Hackett said. “I’m talking two to three million square feet of space. There’s a lot of room to actually think about doing this the right way.”
Not to mention the disinfecting that will be happening around the clock. Nearly 17,000 FCA work-stations were analyzed throughout the company and more than 4,700 of them needed to be redesigned or modified to keep everyone safe. In some shape, form or fashion, the same alterations have been put in place at all three companies.
The UAW released the following statement Sunday:
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: