As coronavirus cases continue to rise at alarming levels across the US, many Americans have opted to avoid their place of work in fear of infection risk.
Despite governments and employers urging workers to return to work in lieu of sitting at home collecting unemployment benefits, the continued rise in coronavirus infection rates has many Americans erring on the side of caution. As a result, GM’s assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri has been struggling to keep its workforce at full capacity, as many employees have not been showing up for their shifts due to coronavirus fears.
For the auto-manufacturing conglomerate, this is yet another coronavirus-induced bump in the road after the company reopened its plants on May 18 following mandated shutdowns across the US. Due to lack of employees, the Wentzville mid-sized truck assembly plant has cut its third shift, and will be continuing operations on only two shifts for the time being, according to GM spokesperson David Barnas.
GM has sent out an alert to its employees notifying them of the shift changes, giving them the option to either partake in a temporary layoff or take up different work opportunities with GM. Each shift at the assembly plant accounts for approximately 1,250 employees.
The state of Missouri has recently seen a spike in coronavirus cases, with the third largest daily increase being reported last Friday. Wentzville, which is a suburb of St. Louis, has seen a seven-day average increase of hospital admissions to a total of 24 as of Friday as well. This many coronavirus hospitalizations have not been witnessed since the end of May, suggesting that the virus is once again making a resurgence.
Information for this briefing was found via The Detroit News. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
