St. Charles County designated a ‘coronavirus hot spot’
Citing employees’ concerns about COVID-19, General Motors has announced it will temporarily lay-off a shift of workers at the Wentzville Assembly Plant.
The news comes as St. Charles County has emerged as a new “hot spot” for coronavirus in Missouri with an additional 705 cases reported in the last two weeks alone. It is an increase of 418 percent from the two weeks prior when the county added 136 cases.
UAW Local 2250 President Glenn Kage said the layoffs were scheduled to begin July 20, but they have been postponed until July 27 so the company can properly prepare for the reduction of the third shift, which consists of about 1,200 workers.
30 CONFIRMED CASES
“So far, we’ve had about 30 confirmed cases of coronavirus at the plant and have several who are out on quarantine,” Kage said late last week.
GM spokesman Dave Barnas said the layoffs are temporary, according to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, he said it is too early to give a definitive timeline.
“We believe, in the short term, a two-shift operating plan will allow us to operate as efficiently as possible and accommodate team members who are not reporting to work due to concerns about COVID-19 in the community,” Barnas said in the article.
Kage said some third-shift workers may be able to work on the first or second shift during the layoffs.
The company is working on a plan to return to three shifts as soon as possible.
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