Hundreds of dismissals due to strikes in automobile factories

Washington. General Motors and Stellantis in the US temporarily laid off about 2,500 workers on Wednesday as a result of a strike that has paralyzed three assembly plants in the country since September 15.

General Motors announced on Wednesday that it had to halt production at its Fairfax, Kansas, assembly plant due to a lack of supplies needed to manufacture vehicles. The factory’s cessation led to the temporary layoff of about 2,000 people.

The shortage of components, in turn, is the result of a strike that has affected the General Motors plant in Wentzville, Missouri, since Friday.

Also on Wednesday, Stellantis announced it had to temporarily lay off 370 workers at three plants in Ohio and Indiana as they produce components for the Toledo plant, which has also been on strike since Friday.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union began strikes on Friday at General Motors and Stellantis plants, as well as at a Ford plant in Michigan, over the failure to reach an agreement to sign a new collective agreement. The strike currently affects about 12,500 workers in the three companies.

The union warned that if an agreement was not reached before midnight on September 22, the strike would extend to other factories of the three major US automakers.

The UAW also announced Wednesday that about 190 workers from ZF, which supplies parts to a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Alabama, have begun a strike to demand higher wages and health benefits.

ZF supplies the front axle hubs for automotive manufacturing at the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The Mercedes-Benz factory employs about 6,300 people, producing the GLE, GLE Coupe and GLS SUVs, in addition to the EQS and EQE electric models. Evie