Northwest Wayne News

Factories have been slow to reopen, after being closed for several months, because of COVID-19 infection rates and parts shortages, the Associated Press reports.

“There’s a lot that can go wrong in bringing people back into the plants to try to build very complicated assemblies,” Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry and labor at the Center for Automotive Research, told the AP.

After a two-month shutdown of production, automakers are struggling to get back to normal. Factories started to reopen after stay-at-home restrictions were loosened in May — with precautions, such as temperature checks, social distancing, plastic barriers where possible and certification checks that workers aren't infected.

Despite those restrictions, some workers still contracted the coronavirus and plants had to be closed for cleaning. 

“I think this is the way this is going to be for a while,” Dziczek told the AP. “You need to have the confluence of healthy workers, a healthy supply chain and healthy demand all at the same time.”

Dziczek said the stopping and starting is difficult, but keeping people healthy is important.

Since the coronavirus struck in the U.S. and states began shutting down, auto sales nationwide have declined significantly, with a 46% drop in April and a predicted 30% drop for May, the AP reported.

Brian Rothenberg, a spokesman for the United Autoworkers Union (UAW), the union for Ford's 4,000-worker pickup factory in Dearborn, told the AP that the factory is being vigilant and following all safety protocols.

“We have advocated for as much testing as possible and full testing when it’s available,” Rothenberg told the news agency.

Kelli Felker, the spokesperson for Ford, told the AP that all workers were required to follow safety protocols in all facilities, and they were also encouraged to do so outside of work to stay safe.

GM noted that it was starting to go back to normal, returning to three shifts in June. “I’m ready to go back, as long as everyone is cautious and stays safe,” Andrea Repasky, a worker at GM's Fort Wayne, Indiana, factory told the AP. “We have to go back sometime, right?”