The local union that represents workers at Ford Motor Co.'s Dearborn Truck Plant is asking the automaker to shutdown the assembly line until all plant workers are tested for the coronavirus.
The union also is asking for additional break time at the plant that builds the best-selling F-150 pickup.
Finally, it wants Ford to do a 24-hour shutdown each time after a worker tests positive for coronavirus for a thorough plant cleaning,
The demands are part of a grievance filed Tuesday by UAW Local 600 against the company, said Gary Walkowicz, bargain committeeman at Dearborn Truck Plant.
“There’s no safe way to be back to work right now, but a safer way is for everybody to be tested," Walkowicz told the Free Press. "I am sure there are people who are at work right now, they could have the virus and not show any symptoms or develop any symptoms, but they expose it to other folks.”
The three main requests in UAW Local 600's grievance are:
- That Ford close down Dearborn Truck immediately and have all 4,000 workers tested. When the majority are negative, Ford restarts the plant with the healthy workers.
- That Ford give workers an extra 20 minutes of break time because the face masks they must wear — which the union supports — make the physical labor harder and therefore it is more draining on the workers.
- Finally, it asks that if a worker tests positive for coronavirus, Ford shut down the plant for a full 24 hours for cleaning.
Walkowicz said he expects a response from Ford to the grievance next week.
Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker did not comment on the grievance, but issued a statement:
"The safety of our workforce is our top priority. Working closely with the UAW and external experts in infectious disease and epidemiology, we have developed safety standards to protect our workforce; we follow those protocols at all Ford facilities globally. Our safety protocol continues to evolve as we learn more about COVID-19."
The UAW, as a matter of policy, does not comment on a pending grievance, said UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg.
But in a statement to the Free Press, Rothenberg said, “The UAW is being vigilant and making sure that the protocols are being enforced throughout the plants including Dearborn Truck Plant, and that all these protocols are adhering to CDC and WHO guidelines. We continue to push for any enhancement that comes online including pushing for more testing as it becomes available.”
The Dearborn Truck Plant has experienced its share of turmoil as it restarted production this week.
On Wednesday it sent the first shift home early to deep clean following reports of a worker testing positive for the virus. That evening, the second shift had a delayed start because of worker anxiety over coronavirus at the facility.
More: Assembly worker concerns delay shift start at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant
Then, on Thursday, Walkowicz said the union learned another worker tested positive for the coronavirus. The worker had last been in the plant on Monday, he said. Because the worker had not been onsite for 72 hours, Ford did not halt the line to clean, Walkowicz said. It followed its standard protocol of cleaning between shifts, he said.
The sick worker is at home in quarantine and any other workers who might have been exposed have also been told to quarantine at home, he said. Felker did not offer a Ford comment on this case.
Dearborn Truck Plant wasn't the only Ford plant affected by the coronavirus this week. Ford had to shut down the Chicago Assembly Plant briefly Tuesday to deep clean because two workers tested positive for the coronavirus.
More: Ford hit with coronavirus after restart, Chicago Assembly shuts down
“People are worried coming back to work," Walkowicz said. "We had the incident on Wednesday evening — there was a lot of absenteeism that day, so they had to double the jobs up, which meant close proximity. So people were very concerned about that and it took awhile before we could get production really going."
There are about 200 workers who remain off because of the CARES Act. They either have underlying health issues that make it too dangerous to be potentially exposed to the virus or child care obligations, Walkowicz said. For those who are on the job, it means social distancing is nearly impossible as they double up and working closer together, he said.
“On the assembly line there’s no way to really be six feet apart," Walkowicz said. "So people in those positions are very concerned.”
Contact Jamie L. LaReau at 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter.
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