Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy has been getting calls daily from anxious members worried about returning to work at the Windsor Assembly Plant. After a tour on Friday, he may have more information for them.
Fiat Chrysler has set a tentative date to restart production on May 19, but Cassidy stressed during an interview with BlackburnNews.com the date is a moving target. He said there are a lot of factors that need to be in place before the company can move ahead with its plan.
(Photo of Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy courtesy of Unifor Local 444's Facebook page)
"With Michigan, with the parts suppliers, there's the border issue, and then, over here in our facility to make sure we have the social distancing inside the facility," he explained.
Right now, the border between Canada and the U.S. remains closed to all but essential traffic. Meanwhile, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has also extended the state's state of emergency.
Inside the plant, Cassidy has concerns too.
"When you have four people that go inside a van to do a job," he said. "I don't know what their plan is to social distance those people inside that vehicle."
He also has questions about measures outside the plant to screen workers before they enter the facility. Will workers gather inside tents to be scanned by an infrared scanner? Will they line up outside? Cassidy admitted he has a lot of questions he needs answers to before he can reassure his members.
Workers will also need to check their temperature before they leave for work. Packages mailed out recently included temperature strips.
"They feel that they have them separated and protected and we will see on Friday," he said.