Fiat Chrysler Automobiles says almost 90% of its hourly workers in North America are back on the job this week.
The automaker released a breakdown this week of the return to work following the lengthy manufacturing shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The company said 48,145 of 54,940 hourly workers, or 88%, have returned to work in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Canada, which has the fewest hourly workers, leads for the percentage of workers back at FCA’s facilities with 99%, followed by Mexico at 88% and the United States, which has the most hourly workers, at 85%.
No comparable total was available for the company’s salaried workers, most of whom are working from home if they are able, according to spokeswoman Jodi Tinson.
“We have been very pleased with the restart of our production operations across North America. Our teams worked tirelessly to create an environment that can keep everyone safe, our employees have done their part by following the new protocols and our suppliers have worked hard to support our plans. Because of this collective effort, most of our North American assembly plants are resuming full production this week,” Tinson said.
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Next week, the Saltillo Truck and Toluca assembly plants in Mexico, which produce various Ram pickups, the Dodge Journey and Jeep Compass, are scheduled to have their remaining shifts return, and the following week, the last FCA shift to return, at Belvidere Assembly in Illinois, is to be back for production of the Jeep Cherokee. Belvidere’s first shift returned this week.
FCA, Ford and General Motors began bringing U.S. workers back on May 18, although Ford has had a few temporary plant shutdowns since then. The resumption of operations in Mexico, a crucial piece in the integrated automotive supply chain, took longer, but as of Monday with the reopening of Ford’s plants, all three were back in operation there, at varying levels of production.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.
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