(WXYZ) — Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley says the company wants to resume production at U.S. and Michigan plants on May 18, after the company posted a first-quarter loss of $1.8 billion.
The Whitmer Administration has not announced when auto production can resume but Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said during a Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce teleconference Tuesday that the decision will be coming in a few days.
Safety is on everyone’s mind. Manley says FCA resumed shared operations in China at the end of February and in Italy last month before that country lifted its lockdown. He says they’ve had no problems.
7 Action News showed you last week how plants in metro Detroit have been preparing for reopening.
Ford last week posted a $2 billion loss and General Motors announces its first-quarter numbers Wednesday morning. Those two companies have not said when they plan to resume production.
The United Auto Workers issued this statement:
The UAW has and continues to have dialogue with all of our employers and employment sectors about the safety and security surrounding reopening worksites.
In the case of the Big 3, through the Task Force we have had an ongoing dialogue and we have supported a number of measures put in place to address Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines from FCA, GM and Ford to protect our health and safety in the plant. Our volunteer members and the companies have done great work to reconfigure plants to achieve this safety goal.
We continue to advocate for as much testing as possible at the current time and eventually full-testing when available.
As for the start date, the companies contractually make that decision and we all knew this day would come. Our UAW focus and role is and will continue to be, on health and safety protocols to protect our members.
My own family will be among those reporting and my responsibility to our UAW members and my family will be consistent. We must implement and follow these guidelines and self-reporting procedures we have worked out. And the UAW will fulfill its role to continue to actively monitor and aggressively respond regarding all issues impacting the health and safety of UAW members in whatever manner may be necessary as we return to the worksite.
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