General Motors notified the state of Kansas of its intent to temporarily lay off workers at its Fairfax production facility in Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday.
The layoffs are part of a previously announced “re-tooling” of the plant to make a different vehicle. More temporary layoffs are expected to come in January as part of the project.
On Saturday, UAW Local 31 met to discuss the impending layoffs. While the layoffs will be tough financially for the auto workers, Local 31 President Dontay Wilson says his membership will still earn some money while they are temporarily out of a job.
“Unemployment and SUB-pay (supplemental unemployment benefits) alone is going to be roughly 75-85% of the wages, so it’s set up to make it where we can manage,” Wilson said Saturday afternoon when asked how his union membership will pay their bills after the layoff.
Around 680 workers are set to be laid off the week of November 18 at the Fairfax facility, with more temporary layoffs scheduled for January. Around 2,000 auto workers work at the facility – which is being retrofitted to be able to make an electric vehicle. GM is investing $390 million into the project.
“A re-tooling is a good thing for us,” Wilson said. “That means we are going to get a new product. It’s the fully electric Chevy Bolt, with a ‘B’. That’s good.”
https://www.kctv5.com/2024/09/22/uaw-local-31-braces-november-layoffs-gms-fairfax-facility/