CLEVELAND — Ford Motors said in a press release today that they are aiming to begin reopening their production centers to workers who have not been able to work remotely.
This new plan allows for North American parts depots to open on Monday, May 11, and full assembly plants may resume normal shift operation starting the following Monday, May 18.
"We’ve been working intently with state and federal governments, our union partners and a cross-section of our workforce to reopen our North American facilities,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s chief operating officer. “We have reopened our facilities in China, successfully begun our phased restart in Europe and have been producing medical equipment in Michigan for more than six weeks and are using the lessons from all of that to ensure we are taking the right precautions to help keep our workforce here safe.”
The reopening will also be accommodated with health and safety guidelines required by each state.
“We’ve developed these safety protocols in coordination with our union partners, especially the UAW, and we all know it will take time to adjust to them,” said Gary Johnson, Ford’s Chief Manufacturing and Labor Officer. “We are in this together and plan to return to our normal operating patterns as soon as we are confident the system is ready to support.”
Ford says that their staggered approach will also allow them to properly provide their workers with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep them safe.
