WARREN, Michigan (Reuters) – The U.S. auto industry slowly returned to life on Monday, with some vehicle assembly plants reopening after the coronavirus lockdown while suppliers geared up to support a sector that employs nearly 1 million people.
FCA assembly workers arrive for an early morning shift re-opening at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread continues, in Warren, Michigan, U.S., May 18, 2020. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
On a chilly and damp Monday morning, hundreds of workers at Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s (FCA) (FCHA.MI) truck plant in Warren, Michigan began lining up before 4 a.m. to start the 5 a.m. shift. Signs overhead read: “Let’s restart.”
“I’m a little nervous,” said Larry Smith, 53, of New Baltimore, who works on wheel alignment away from the assembly line. “They made all the precautions (and) they’ve done everything they can to prepare us . . . I’m trusting in God.”
FCA reopened four U.S. assembly plants on Monday, including Warren Truck, on a single shift, as well as four parts plants.
The reopening of car plants will be a closely watched test of whether workers across a range of U.S. industries can return to factories in large numbers without a resurgence of infections.
Auto companies have rolled out safety measures to