WAYNE, Mich. – Roughly 600 employees at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne are temporarily out of a job.
Ford Motor Company announced the temporary layoffs Friday, Sept. 15.
According to a statement from Ford, employees in the body construction department and south sub-assembly area of integrated stamping were notified not to report to work.
The Ford Michigan Assembly Plant is one of three auto plants being targeted with strikes after the UAW and Big Three failed to make an agreement.
Negotiations are expected to resume Saturday, Sept. 16.
Read: UAW declares strike at Ford, GM, Stellantis for 1st time in history: What to know
UAW workers at plants other than the three singled out by UAW President Fain are being directed to continue working under an expired agreement.
Ford credits the strike for the layoffs, which they said is not a lockout. The automaker said the production system is interconnected and the strike is impacting facilities and departments that aren’t the ones directly targeted.
“Our production system is highly interconnected, which means the UAW’s targeted strike strategy will have knock-on effects for facilities that are not directly targeted for a work stoppage. In this case, the strike at Michigan Assembly Plant’s final assembly and paint departments has directly impacted the operations in other parts of the facility. Approximately 600 employees at Michigan Assembly Plant’s body construction department and south sub-assembly area of integrated stamping were notified not to report to work Sept. 15. This is not a lockout. This layoff is a consequence of the strike at Michigan Assembly Plant’s final assembly and paint departments, because the components built by these 600 employees use materials that must be e-coated for protection. E-coating is completed in the paint department, which is on strike.”
Ford Motor Company
General Motors announced that its Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas is expected to be idled, putting 2,000 people out of work. GM credits the targeted strike at its Wentzville Assembly as the cause as it provides parts to the Fairfax plant.
Employees at the Fairfax Assembly Plant received the following message Friday, Sept. 15:
“Fairfax Team: As you are aware, the International UAW announced that Wentzville Assembly is on strike. Currently, the Wentzville Team is providing critical stampings to Fairfax. Due to the strike’s impact on Wentzville operations, we anticipate running out of parts for Fairfax as soon as early next week. The parts situation is fluid, and we are actively managing the situation.
Since Fairfax won’t be able to run production due to a part shortage caused by the strike in Wentzville, there is no work available. We are working under an expired agreement at Fairfax. Unfortunately, there are no provisions that allow for company-provided SUB-pay in this circumstance.”
Message sent to employees