WAYNE, Mich. — Ford announced the layoffs of roughly 600 workers in Michigan on the first day of the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike.
The company released a statement Friday saying employees at Michigan Assembly Plant were sent notices instructing them not to show up to work on Sept. 15.
“This is not a lockout,” the statement reads, adding the layoffs are a “consequence” for the UAW strike at the plant’s final assembly and paint departments.
Ford says the strike will impact areas “not directly targeted for a work stoppage,” noting the “interconnected” nature of its various systems.
The company’s full statement reads:
"Our production system is highly interconnected, which means the UAW’s targeted strike strategy will have knock-on effects for facilities that are not directly targeted for a work stoppage. In this case, the strike at Michigan Assembly Plant’s final assembly and paint has directly impacted the operations in other parts of the facility. Approximately 600 employees at Michigan Assembly Plant’s body construction department and south sub-assembly area of integrated stamping were notified not to report to work Sept. 15. This is not a lockout. This layoff is a consequence of the strike at Michigan Assembly Plant’s final assembly and paint departments, because the components built by these 600 employees use materials that must be e-coated for protection. E-coating is completed in the paint department, which is on strike."
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