General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis announced they laid off thousands of workers this week as a consequence of the United Auto Workers strike.
Due to severe parts shortages, GM said it would be halting production at a Fairfax, Kansas, factory and laying off about 2,000 workers. The parts needed at the Fairfax factory are made in Wentzville, Missouri, where UAW members walked off last week.
A similar situation is playing out in Stellantis plants, with 370 people fired at three Ohio and Indiana factories. The fired employees work at facilities that make parts for Jeeps built at the Toledo Assembly Complex, where workers are on strike.
Stellantis is an Italian-American conglomerate that owns Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, RAM, Jeep, Peugeot, Citroën and Alfa Romeo.
GM also said that due to the strike, fired Fairfax employees would not be eligible for increased unemployment benefits that its laid-off employees usually receive.
“We have said repeatedly that nobody wins in a strike,” the company said in a statement. “What happened to our Fairfax team members is a clear and immediate demonstration of that fact. We will continue to bargain in good faith with the union to reach an agreement as quickly as possible.”
The firings likely won’t help cool the fiery rhetoric of UAW President Shawn Fain, who has been on the offensive since the strike began last week.
Thousands of UAW members walked off the job Friday after contract negotiations failed. UAW leadership has been uncompromising in its efforts to secure a 40% pay increase, the reintroduction of pension plans and a reduced workweek, among other demands.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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