When does production start again?

[nerubi]

Financial experts have said for decades people should have a six month cash reserve for times like this. I know, you are saying people don't get paid enough to do that. Many do but don't save. People can't think further than the next day. They would rather have homes, cars, phones, vacations and on and on that they overspend on instead of becoming more self-reliant. And if you have been working at the McDonalds drive thru for years at the age of 40 then you should have obtained a better skill set. Instead most want the government to bail them out. And how many would love to have 88% of pay for not working? Don't complain about the cost of a car if you think that is ok. Maybe another good depression would help most people learn the lessons that those who lived through it in the 30s learned.

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[Dkretden]

Financial experts have said for decades people should have a six month cash reserve for times like this. I know, you are saying people don't get paid enough to do that. Many do but don't save. People can't think further than the next day. They would rather have homes, cars, phones, vacations and on and on that they overspend on instead of becoming more self-reliant. And if you have been working at the McDonalds drive thru for years at the age of 40 then you should have obtained a better skill set. Instead most want the government to bail them out. And how many would love to have 88% of pay for not working? Don't complain about the cost of a car if you think that is ok. Maybe another good depression would help most people learn the lessons that those who lived through it in the 30s learned.

Actually, I’m not saying that at all. I happen to fully agree with you. I think that when a stat came out a couple of years ago that said some thing like: “40% of Americans could not handle a $400 surprise bill”. I was really troubled by that. It meant that far too many were living way above their means. No excuses. They were simply living above their means and simply didn’t care to fix it.

that said, that was yesterday and we must deal with the outcomes of what this type of behavior caused. And we must do so quickly. Because, if we don’t, the damage to the economy will (hyperbole coming) turn that 40% into 80%. The easiest (and least expensive) thing to do is get people back to work very soon.

I think this is a huge chance for the auto companies and the UAW to lead the way here. To show the country that is time to build American Muscle again using American muscle. They could really get this country moving forward...... it needs to happen soon.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

The easiest (and least expensive) thing to do is get people back to work very soon.

I think this is a huge chance for the auto companies and the UAW to lead the way here. To show the country that is time to build American Muscle again using American muscle. They could really get this country moving forward...... it needs to happen soon.

I'm ready. My shift would have started about a half hour ago. They can call me now. :D

 

[Dkretden]

VW is opening plants “across Europe” over the next week according to a terrific article in the WSJ (paywall, I think).

VW has implemented 100 new procedures to keep workers safe. A few are outlined in the article. They include:
1) workers take temps at home (and look for other symptoms) and must report problems to managers (before coming to the plant)
2) workers are to arrive in their uniforms (no changing in locker rooms)
3) cafeteria will be closed. Workers are to bring their lunch and will eat at their stations
4) carpooling to work is discouraged.
5) shifts are staggered to allow folks to leave before new shift comes on.
6) new “pathways” have been made for workers to be able to get to their stations while enhancing distance and stations have been changed as needed to enhance distancing
7) workers will enter the plant in single file and six feet apart.
8) union has been a part of the planning and process changes, it seems, and union says that it will take a while for all employees to understand new protocols.

stuff like that. I would imagine that the US auto companies are looking at doing similar things and I hope that union leadership has also been engaged. I doubt that the plants that the workforce goes back to will be the “same as they were”. I do hope that the FCA and UAW has worked together to be able to get the employees back to a new normal that is “different but safe”.......

 

[Dkretden]

Good luck!

I guess that it will all depend on when they start back to work.

 

[JDJL]

Multiple sources are reporting FCA is targeting May 4th to resume Wrangler production. They'll only be working one shift so they can clean and sanitize daily. I hope that's enough.

I ordered my Jeep on March 14th.. a few days before the factory shut down. I really don't mind waiting a few more months for it to be built. I'm excited to get it, but not at the expense of the factory worker's health.

 

[Dkretden]

Multiple sources are reporting FCA is targeting May 4th to resume Wrangler production. They'll only be working one shift so they can clean and sanitize daily. I hope that's enough.

I ordered my Jeep on March 14th.. a few days before the factory shut down. I really don't mind waiting a few more months for it to be built. I'm excited to get it, but not at the expense of the factory worker's health.

May 4th does seem to be the case (unless something changes). FCA seems to want to open on May 4th. Plants will open in phases thereafter. I have not read when wrangler production will start, specifically. And, it seems that the union and FCA (probably all automakers) are working together to implement new safety protocols that seem somewhat similar to what VW has done in Europe (posted above):

https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/...cle_602ee9da-7dca-11ea-83e7-73fd4c2e985e.html

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Looking like Michigan's Stay-At-Home order is going to be extended... no engines, no Wranglers.

 

[Turchman]

Here in Minnesota, factories and offices not previously considered essential, are reopening Monday, April 26th. This is being done given the ability to now test 20,000 per day through both the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic. I imagine Michigan and Ohio would look at similar criteria along with stringent social distancing measures in the plant before reopening. The ability to test and track is considered vital to reopening here. The governor stated that the goal is not to eliminate the virus, as that is impossible without a vaccine, but to work toward herd immunity without overloading the healthcare system. More and more antibody studies are showing that real infection rates are at least 50 times higher than confirmed cases. Hopefully we will also have better treatment options in the next few weeks that will also reduce the number of people that require invasive treatment. Strange and scary times indeed... By the way we ordered our JLUR on March 10th, but do not want anyone to be put into harms way to build it.

 

[mjaga]

IL has been extended until May 30. I realize that may not directly impact MI and OH, but being in close proximity to those states may indicate others will follow suit?

 

[Dkretden]

Looking like Michigan's Stay-At-Home order is going to be extended... no engines, no Wranglers.

Interesting. I would have assumed that like Boeing in Washington, the automakers in Michigan would get an exception (provided that they had demonstrated the ability of new safety practices, etc). This is where individual governors, acting independently, are really gong to eff this economy. It will only take one governor to close a key plant in the auto supply chain and no plant will be able to open in the entire chain. That becomes and interstate commerce issue......

An economic depression is here if we cannot logically and thoughtfully and in a coordinated fashion, open these economies. The soup lines are already forming and some governors seem oblivious.

The UAW and the car manufacturers, together, need to very quickly exert influence, with state governors.

very interesting article in the WSJ the other day. It speaks to the notion that SOME governors or mayors seemed to have “changed to goal line.... moved it....”. The article describes how the original shutdown orders were never about “protecting people from getting sick”. Rather, the orders were about “not overwhelming the healthcare system..... bend the curve”...... remember that? now some Governors seem to want to make this about “protecting everybody, period”...... “bring the curve to zero’, if you will....... that just isn’t going to happen until there is a vaccine. Until then, we need to quickly and carefully reopen using all available tools..... just like Korea. We need to take detailed protective steps in the workplace and social settings, identify hotspots when they develop and test the hell out of the hotspot and contain it. the WSJ makes a compelling argument.

 

[mniedbalski]

The articles I have read have stated that the automakers want to reopen but the UAW does not support going back to work May 4. Hopefully they can reach an agreement that is the best for everyone involved.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

The articles I have read have stated that the automakers want to reopen but the UAW does not support going back to work May 4. Hopefully they can reach an agreement that is the best for everyone involved.

The UAW isn't the real issue. It's literally JUST the stay at home orders.

 

[Dkretden]

The UAW isn't the real issue. It's literally JUST the stay at home orders.

I do hope that you are correct. I read a bunch of articles with quotes from the UAW leadership and I found them far more “political and ass-covering and potentially blame shifting” than I did helpfully trying to work to create an environment where workers can go back to work safely. I was very disappointed in the UAW leadership’s quotes.

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