DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford Motor Company revealed its plans Thursday to get workers back on the job.
ORIGINAL STORY: Ford: Safety is ‘priority one’ in preparation for manufacturing restart amid pandemic
From factories to technology development to dealerships -- Metro Detroit has tens of thousands of families count on the automaker.
Ford said by restarting, it will jumpstart the U.S. economy -- but will workers be comfortable going back to work?
The automaker lost an estimated $2 billion in the first three months of 2020 and knows it has to get back to work to survive.
The company said it is taking precautions to make sure every worker is safe. Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley said he would feel confident sending his own family into a plant with the protections they’ve set up.
Workers in Michigan will soon see what precautions are currently in Ford’s facilities in China:
- Temperature scanning
- No touch doors
- Sanitizing work spaces
- Masks and face shields
- Shields between workers.
“The virus is unlike anything we have seen," said chief human resources officer Keirsten Robinson. "We are going to have to unlearn and train ourselves in working and routine.”
United Auto Workers president Rory Gamble released the following statement:
"We continue to engage in talks with Ford on an ongoing basis regarding protocols for the health and safety of our members in the workplace.
The UAW is asking for as much testing as is possible to prevent exposure to the virus. That said, we also understand that the availability and accuracy of tests are fluid, developing issues as we navigate this crisis. Our position is that we employ as much testing as is possible at the current time and commit to full testing as soon as it is available. We are also strongly advocating self-reporting and testing for those exposed to the virus or exhibiting symptoms at a minimum, and a stringent adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines."
Anyone who believes they might have coronavirus should follow the CDC guidelines. Michigan.gov has a list of resources available to those concerned about COVID-19.
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