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Demand a four-week shutdown of auto plants to contain the spread of COVID-19!
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With record numbers of COVID-19 cases in Michigan and infections spreading rapidly in auto plants, The Autoworker Rank-and-File Safety Committee Network is calling for an emergency four-week shutdown of auto plants to halt the further spread of sickness and death. We demand that all workers who are laid off continue to receive full pay until the pandemic is contained.
Autoworkers at Warren Truck plant in Warren, Michigan, on May 18, 2020 [Credit: AP photo/Paul Sancya]
The situation in the Detroit area is particularly dire. Large numbers of cases are being reported at the Stellantis plants, including Jefferson North Assembly Plant (JNAP), Sterling Heights Assembly (SHAP) and Sterling Stamping. But while massive auto plants continue to operate, Detroit school officials have voted to delay the start of in-person instruction until May 11 due to the high COVID-19 case rate.
COVID-19 spreads at Stellantis Jefferson North as safety protocols break down
World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter about the rapid spread of the virus where she works. The majority of COVID-19 outbreaks in Michigan are at schools and workplaces, according to state health officials. However, when Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued voluntary guidelines Friday calling for the suspension for two weeks of in-person high school classes, sports and in-person dining, she excluded auto plants and other nonessential industry, which are major sources of outbreaks.
JNAP in Detroit is now part of the Detroit Manufacturing Complex alongside the newly opened Mack Avenue plant. It employs 5,000 workers building the Jeep Cherokee and Dodge Durango. Stellantis has been hiring large numbers of new temporary part-time workers (TPTs) at JNAP for training as the Mack Avenue plant ramps up production.