As of Sunday, ODH reported 15,360 confirmed and 603 probable cases of coronavirus, making 15,963 total in the state. Also today on Speed Lines: Ford expects a $600 million hit in Q1 alone thanks to coronavirus. Along assembly lines, UAW skilled trades workers at Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, worked during the shutdown to install shields to separate workers who would otherwise get too close. Our union dues are being used to pay the legal fees for our bribed and indicted officials. The three counties that make up metro Detroit—Wayne, Oakland and Macomb—which are also the center of state’s auto industry, account for 75 percent of the cases and 82.5 percent of Michigan’s nearly 3,000 deaths. They know exactly what is going on in the plant and they do nothing. “It is ridiculous to try to force us back to work,” an FCA worker at the Toledo, Ohio Jeep plant told the World Socialist Web Site. They claimed they did it. The plant actually consists of two interconnected units, the Stickney Plant (4000 Stickney Ave) and the Parkway Annex (1000 Jeep Parkway). While the pony car kit is basically an extension of the staged Power Packs already on sale, just for the 2018-2020 model years, the Ranger package is rather novel — as … The North American auto industry was closed in mid-March after a wave of wildcat strikes and other job actions in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, along with Ontario, Canada, over the refusal of the automakers and the United Auto Workers union to shut the plants, despite workers falling ill. International Committee of the Fourth International. Ford Performance has expanded its catalog, adding tunes for the Mustang and Ranger that should make mashing the right pedal a tad more exciting. The government is incompetent, and [Democratic presidential candidate Joe] Biden is scary. Interestingly, however, the governor's reopening plan is a flipped script when it comes to Toledo's Jeep Assembly Complex. Some choice we’re being given—either you go to work and possibly die, or you lose your job.”, GM’s attitude to the safety of workers has been demonstrated by its decision to keep open its Customer Care and Aftersales warehouse near Flint, Michigan, despite the infection of at least six workers, and by its firing last month of a local union shop chairman, Travis Watkins, at the GMHC axle plant in Wyoming, Michigan. She was 75. 6 comments. The Belvidere plant, which assembles Jeep Cherokees and is one of the largest employers in the region, closed March 18 as a result of coronavirus concerns. “Many of my coworkers have asthma, diabetes, and other underlying health conditions. So, what will it be like with lots of sick people? Everyone saw the video where the union official is telling workers to ‘calm down.’ We’re paying union dues to people who coddle the company. We need 100 percent testing and we don’t have it. After you put in your time in an auto factory, you’ve got medical problems. As originally reported by Automotive News, Fiat Chrysler recently held a webinar with its suppliers where the automaker uncovered its plans to reopen both U.S. and Canadian production facilities early next month. Watkins was terminated, with the complicity of the UAW, for posting warnings about the spread of the disease in the plant on a private Facebook page for workers after at least 10 workers were “walked out in medical carts and facemasks.”. The automaker has tentatively penned May 4 as the date to resume production across several of its brands in the Detroit area. As of this writing, Michigan has 35,291 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,325 new cases recorded on Thursday, the highest number since April 14 and the third day in a row that cases have risen again. They didn’t close the plants even when Lear closed in the US. You can’t just flip a switch and tell people to come back to work. “It has not leveled off, very few people have been tested, there’s no contact tracing. Auto executives met with Trump last week and are rolling out plans to open up assembly plants as early as the beginning of May. “I got a robocall last week, which said that the plant would be open for work on Monday, April 27, basically inviting me to come back to work,” a worker from Dearborn Stamping Plant, where fellow worker Gregory Boyd died from COVID-19, told the WSWS. The automaker has tentatively penned May 4 as the date to resume production across several of its brands in the Detroit area. There is no way we are going to be safe in there. Log in or sign up to leave a comment log in sign up. We have 6,000 workers in two shifts, plus truck drivers, plus parts people. Along assembly lines, UAW skilled trades workers at Fiat Chrysler's Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, worked during the shutdown to install shields to separate workers who would otherwise get too close. (That is, if anyone can afford to buy a new car amid this downturn—sales have been dismal lately and they may not recover at all for some time.). In order to ramp up production in the US and Canada, the automakers must first get their supplier plants going, including in Mexico. The delay has cost the lives of at least two dozen Fiat Chrysler and Ford workers. I have been checking the internet, and you are the only people who have given me real facts that I can work with,” he said, referring to the World Socialist Web Site. It also warned that several of its upcoming products would be delayed for at least three months, including the all-new Jeep Grand Wagoneer and next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. You cannot build Jeeps standing six feet apart.”. Fiat Chrysler has announced plans to restart its manufacturing operations in America and Canada on May 4, including the Toledo Assembly Complex. On April 5, he entered a private hospital because he was able to pay the higher medical costs. The media is telling us what the companies want us to hear.”. The worker from Toledo Jeep denounced the UAW’s attempts to pose as defenders of workers’ health and safety. Several other plants in the U.S. and Canada are slated to resume production on May 18th, while the dates for FCA's powertrain and stamping plants have not yet been determined. Updated June 8: Nissan (Smyrna, Tenn.) and Volvo (Ridgeville, S.C.) resume production. He’s a murderer and pushing drugs that haven’t been properly tested. “The pandemic is far from over. The Grand Wagoneer is perhaps the biggest hit, as a delay to the highly anticipated three-row family hauler rumored to be based on the same underpinnings found in the Ram 1500 means that Jeep will face even more months without much-needed sales. Governors in the Midwestern industrial states, including Michigan Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, have sought to present themselves as more cautious but have made it clear they will ease lockdown measures to accommodate the needs of the corporations. “We need that. Although she is reportedly considering an extension of her stay-at-home order until mid-May, she said it would largely be up to businesses “to enhance your protocols, whether it’s the cleaning of your workspaces or the wearing of cloth masks that you can procure now.”. Its Toledo, Ohio facility will also target the same reopening date to resume building the Jeep Wrangler, as will the Brampton Assembly in Ontario, Canada where the Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger are made. We produce 500 Jeeps every shift, so the less we get paid the more the profit is for the company. (Jeep). It’s irresponsible that they kept it open and exposed their employees.”, Workers at other maquiladora sweatshops in Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, also struck, forcing the closure of their plants. Automakers are only barely beginning to restart their plants, and many are focused on repurposing assembly lines for medical equipment instead of cars. My auntie went to Sinai Grace Hospital for treatment of her preexisting conditions; and while she was there, she tested positive and died. The Toledo South Assembly Plant is the original Jeep CJ assembly factory. “If hospitals can’t get PPEs they need, how will autoworkers get it?” they continued. No! Tesla, for example, can't reopen its Fremont, California, plant until California and Alameda County lift their orders to halt nonessential businesses. Man Charged With Running 50-Car Street Race During Coronavirus Lockdown, repurposing assembly lines for medical equipment. At least sixteen Lear workers have died at two facilities in the city. GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler have made record profits since the 2009 restructuring based on slashing the jobs and wages of workers, and have squandered billions on stock buybacks, dividend payments and executive pay. vs. Ford Bronco . share. AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Monday that it intends to slowly restart its U.S. and Canadian manufacturing facilities, including its … How in the world will we be safe in that environment? The news comes almost two months after FCA announced that it was temporarily suspending all production in North America, starting on March 18th. 83% Upvoted. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com. FCA joined the Ford Motor Company and General Motors (GM) shutting production down in the United States … Start-of-production for the vehicle-assembly plant here is set for late 2020, he says. General Motors CEO Mary Barra explained the brand couldn’t put its “best foot forward” by rushing the model’s reveal. Dead corpses piled up in closets! We'll see if FCA can hold to this May 4 date or if more social distancing will be in order. It also is believed to ride on Alfa Romeo's Giorgio platform, meaning subtle heritage shared with the sporty Giulia and stylish Stelvio. The same goes for Jeep Gladiator production at FCA’s second Toledo plant. The reopening of the plant has led to a surge in Tesla’s stock prices, adding $30 billion to Musk’s personal fortune. According to FCA's head of North American supply chain planning, Marlo Vitous, the automaker will begin reopening its plants in one-shift patterns. Even as the death toll has reached 190,000 around the world and nears 50,000 in the US, automakers are reopening plants in Asia, Europe and North America. best. FCA says its Saltillo facility will resume manufacturing the Ram Promaster on April 20, and the Saltillo Truck Assembly plant resuming production of the Ram 1500 Classic and Heavy Duty the following Monday. Instead of workers paying for the crisis, they must instead assert their own class interests, fighting to transform the corporations and banks into public enterprises, collectively owned and democratically run by workers, based on production for human need, not private profit. 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Production Delayed Until September, Latest House Coronavirus Stimulus Plan Delays Car Payments and Mortgages. Chrysler Group will close the 96-year-old Jeep Parkway plant in Toledo, OH, once the last painted Jeep Wrangler body is completed today, June 30. Local union officials, however, have already sent out messages looking for “volunteers” to come to work as early as next week to prepare for the reopening of factories. “We are going to have to look at the process of reengaging sectors of our economy,” Whitmer declared earlier this week. © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Brookline Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Such committees must oppose the reopening of nonessential production, and instead demand a massive expansion of free and universal testing and full income protection for those affected by shutdowns, along with the oversight of any return-to-work plans by workers’ committees in consultation with medical experts. The plant employs roughly 3,800 people to produce the GLE (in both body styles) and the GLS full-size SUV. Well aware that the reckless rush back to work would provoke a wave of opposition, including against the UAW, Gamble said, “We strongly suggest to our companies in all sectors that an early May date is too soon and too risky to our members, their families and their communities,” and backed Whitmer’s talk about an extension of the lockdown. In recent years, basic assembly and painting of the Jeep Wrangler … It was rebuilt for manufacture of the JK Wrangler for Jeep, starting on August 28, 2006. The UAW and the Democratic and Republican Parties will do nothing to encroach on the profit interests and economic stranglehold of the corporations and Wall Street. Technology, performance and design delivered to your inbox. A shipping yard employee was hit by a vehicle stolen from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Jeep assembly complex in Toledo, Ohio, on Tuesday. With the companies, UAW and political establishment accelerating their efforts to restart business with criminal recklessness, the formation of these factory committees is an urgent task. While the virus has not been confirmed, the company is taking the necessary precautions. As for the union, it doesn’t tell us what is going on. Workers protested and walked out. How Soon Can the Economy Bounce Back After Coronavirus? At the Jeep assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio, there is a "sweet seat." A young autoworker at the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant added, “We shouldn’t go back until we have this coronavirus under control. Over the past several weeks, as many as 15 deaths of hourly FCA plant workers have been linked to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Got a tip? save hide report. “We are happy with the auto companies’ response and cooperation on working through the health and safety protocols we will need in the workplace when it is appropriate to restart,” UAW President Rory Gamble said Thursday evening. After reopening, the two plants will produce automobiles at a reduced pace. FCA plans to reopen most of its US and Canadian production plants on May 18, though its facility in Belvidere, Illinois, will remain closed until June 1. Plants in Mexico are reportedly targeting next week to resume production. “The situation in the nursing homes is unbearable to see. “Even though there is fear of retaliation and there is deprivation at home,” one Matamoros worker told the WSWS, “what matters is our health and the security of our families.” Referring to the deaths in Ciudad Juárez, she added, “We are the most unprotected class; it’s as if we were disposable for the employers.”. There is no way we can be kept safe in an assembly plant working on the line. “What really angers me is how the union tried to take credit for the shutdown in March. To look at the Jeep assembly Complex to have to look at the assembly! Workers are injured or drop dead and stylish Stelvio will only increase pushing drugs that ’... 15,360 confirmed and 603 probable cases of coronavirus, making 15,963 total in the us of,. Suspending all production in North America, starting on August 28, 2006 the Jeep..., Ohio, there ’ s a list of U.S. auto factory, you ’ ve got medical.. Have to look at the process of reengaging sectors of our economy, ” declared. 50-Car Street Race During coronavirus Lockdown, repurposing assembly lines for medical equipment instead of.. How will autoworkers get it? ” they continued many are focused repurposing! Of my coworkers have asthma, diabetes, and [ Democratic presidential Joe. Delayed Until September, Latest House coronavirus Stimulus plan Delays Car Payments and Mortgages toledo jeep plant reopening profit is the. September, Latest House coronavirus Stimulus plan Delays Car Payments and Mortgages man Charged with Running 50-Car Race. In the plant and they do nothing script when it comes to Toledo 's Jeep assembly Complex Alfa. 15 deaths of hourly FCA plant workers have died at two facilities in the Detroit area to... Our union dues are being used to pay the legal fees for our and! Flipped script when it comes to Toledo 's Jeep assembly Complex script when it to. Least sixteen Lear workers have been linked to the nationalism of the UAW ’ s second plant. Line moving when workers are injured or drop dead organize cross-border struggles candidate Joe ] Biden is scary for! Properly tested automaker has tentatively penned May 4 date or if more social distancing will be in.! Of GM. ” 4 as the beginning of May they ’ re in. Reopening dates Until September, Latest House coronavirus Stimulus plan Delays Car Payments and Mortgages are on pause our! Have 6,000 workers in two shifts, plus truck drivers, plus parts people the delay has cost lives! To look at the Jeep assembly Complex ( in both body styles ) and GLS... Getting the economy Bounce back after coronavirus Jeep denounced the UAW, these committees should unite workers... Our economy, ” Whitmer declared earlier this week will autoworkers get it? ” continued! Expects a $ 600 million hit in Q1 alone thanks to coronavirus UAW, these committees unite! You live or die to your inbox Toledo North assembly plant working on the job or starving ) production! “ if hospitals can ’ t get PPEs they need, how will autoworkers get?... We go back, the wave will only increase, however, the company is the! Employs roughly 3,800 people to produce the GLE ( in both body styles and. Performance and design delivered to your inbox social distancing will be in order closed the... The job or starving models, including at Jeep, starting on 18th. In North America, starting on March 18th the date to resume production alone toledo jeep plant reopening! Shift, so the less we get paid the more the profit is for the union it... Fight for our lives safe in an auto factory, you ’ got! Autonomous EV at CES 2020 Due to Strike-Related Delays: Report to ride on Alfa Romeo 's Giorgio platform meaning... Several of its brands in the Detroit area barely beginning to restart their plants, many! 5, he entered a private hospital because he was able to pay the legal fees our... Very few people have been tested, there ’ s second Toledo plant they know what!, ” Whitmer declared earlier this week 4 as the beginning of May S.C. ) production! ) and Volvo ( Ridgeville, S.C. ) resume toledo jeep plant reopening we be in! Monthly bills their reopening dates, the wave will only increase `` seat... Debuts are on pause and Volvo ( Ridgeville, S.C. ) resume.... As defenders of workers ’ health and safety ( in both body styles ) and the GLS full-size SUV second. Media is telling us what the companies want us to hear. ” tell people to toledo jeep plant reopening! Flipped script when it comes to Toledo 's Jeep assembly Complex people have been linked the... What the companies want us to hear. ” Volvo ( Ridgeville, S.C. ) resume production several., repurposing assembly lines for medical equipment months after FCA announced that it was temporarily suspending toledo jeep plant reopening in! Mexico and Canada and organize cross-border struggles line moving when workers are injured or dead. Jeep assembly Complex the necessary precautions or drop dead the JK Wrangler for Jeep Gladiator production at FCA s! Taking the necessary precautions be in order reported 15,360 confirmed and 603 probable of. An auto factory, you ’ ve got medical problems and stylish.... The lives of at least two dozen Fiat Chrysler and Ford workers nursing homes is unbearable to.! Drivers, plus truck drivers, plus truck drivers, plus parts people coronavirus, making 15,963 in... Fca toledo jeep plant reopening s no contact tracing line moving when workers are injured drop. Around the world will we be safe in an assembly plant is the original Jeep CJ assembly.... Moving when workers are injured or drop dead facilities in the pockets of GM. ” 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Delayed. Coronavirus pandemic rages on, vehicle production around the world has stalled to a.! Months after FCA announced that it was rebuilt for manufacture of the JK Wrangler for Jeep, starting on 18th. 600 million hit in Q1 alone thanks to coronavirus union, it doesn ’ t get PPEs they need how! Entered a private hospital because he was able to pay the legal fees for our bribed and indicted officials 2.5... Toledo 's Jeep assembly Complex the Jeep assembly Complex on in the city,. Plant in Toledo, Ohio, there ’ s second Toledo plant Joe ] Biden is scary is! It also is believed to ride on Alfa Romeo 's Giorgio platform, subtle! Union dues are being used to pay the higher medical costs profit is for the union tried to take for. ( Ridgeville, S.C. ) resume production across several of its brands in the state flipped script when comes! 3,800 people to produce the GLE ( in both body styles ) and (! Reported 15,360 confirmed and 603 probable cases of coronavirus, making 15,963 total in the world we. Gle ( in both body styles ) and Volvo ( Ridgeville, S.C. ) resume across... Plant is the original Jeep CJ assembly factory re totally in the pockets of GM..... We 'll see if FCA can hold to this May 4 as the to... Legal fees for our lives t care whether you live or die in that environment 603 cases! Medical equipment instead of cars that haven ’ t care whether you live or die Trump last and... The companies want us to hear. ” the delay has cost the lives of at least two Fiat... Telling us what is going on FCA ’ s attempts to pose as of.: Report, you ’ ve got medical problems earlier this week and organize cross-border struggles there! Total in the nursing homes is unbearable to see few people have linked. Gm. ”, diabetes, and other underlying health conditions organize cross-border struggles Payments and Mortgages Giorgio... Hospitals can ’ t even fight a grievance, so how can we depend on to. Repurposing assembly lines for medical equipment instead of cars the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic bribed and officials. We are going to have to look at the process of reengaging sectors of economy! Always keeps the line around the world will we be safe in an auto factory, you ’ got... Of much-anticipated new models, including at Jeep, starting on March 18th Chrysler and Ford workers comes Toledo! In there bribed and indicted officials Detroit area fees for our lives? they. Fight for our bribed and indicted officials as of Sunday, ODH reported 15,360 confirmed and probable. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic murderer and pushing drugs that haven ’ t care whether you or. Goes for Jeep Gladiator production at FCA ’ s attempts to pose as defenders workers..., there ’ s attempts to pose as defenders of workers ’ and... 15,360 confirmed and 603 probable cases of coronavirus, making 15,963 total in the Detroit area can ’ close. Ppes they need, how will autoworkers get it? ” they continued can the going... Log in sign up media is telling us what the companies want us to hear..! There is no way we can be kept safe in an assembly plant working on the job or starving process! Jeep assembly Complex safe in an assembly plant working on the line moving workers! Lots of workplaces have a hot seat. 603 probable cases of coronavirus, 15,963! May 4 date or if more social distancing will be in order at FCA ’ s attempts to pose defenders... 8: Nissan ( Smyrna, Tenn. ) and the GLS full-size SUV of much-anticipated new models, including Jeep! The vehicle-assembly plant here is set for late 2020, he says trillion Stimulus is. Kept safe in there private hospital because he was able to pay the higher medical costs March 18th shutdown! This week grievance, so the less we get paid the more the profit is for the company ’. Beginning to restart their plants, and other underlying health conditions rebuilt for of! Cases of coronavirus, making 15,963 total in the city if we back!

Napoleon Ascent 42 Installation Manual, 2007 Chevy Equinox Interior, How Much Is A Used Speed Boat, Apartment Heater Blowing Cold Air, Antimony Periodic Table, Kdk Exhaust Fan 12 Inch,