General Motors is only running its Arlington Assembly plant at about 25 percent capacity while it ramps up production of its new line of full-size SUVs.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the Arlington Assembly plant in Texas is operating at a reduced speed for the time being. As we reported this past week, General Motors is currently only producing the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon at Arlington for the time being, with production of the new Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV set to begin later this summer.
It’s normal for an assembly line to run at partial capacity while still in the early stages of building an all-new, next-generation vehicle. However, it’s very likely the COVID-19 pandemic is also contributing to the low output at Arlington Assembly right now. While the plant is still operating on three shifts, COVID-19 protocols may be slowing down output as workers take precautions like social distancing throughout their day. Additionally, many GM suppliers are also trying to ramp up production at the moment and may not be delivering parts to Arlington Assembly at the same rate they would be otherwise.
A worker at Arlington Assembly tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, prompting UAW Local 276 Shop Chairman Kenny Hines to raise the alarm bells over worker safety at the plant. While Hines pushed GM to idle the plant and allow the number of COVID-19 cases in the Dallas area to go down, GM has elected to keep the plant open in order to meet the expected high demand for the new line of full-size SUVs. It’s worth noting there have not been any other reported cases of COVID-19 at Arlington Assembly since that employee tested positive the week of June 5th.
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Comments
I have heard from a reliable source that 100% of capacity is 2 shifts each 40 hours. 80 hours a week is 100% of capacity. If they’re running at 25% capacity, that’s only 20 hours a week. Divided by three shifts That’s six hours and 40 minutes per week. Per shift.
Is all that work done in one day? Or do they work 80 minutes a day, five days a week?
I am guessing that you are good at math, not so good at reading…see above, it says reduced speed, not hours. It also says that reducing speed is common when restarting a line or making a new model. You also gloss over the fact that the company is taking further precautions due to the what I call the Wuhan Chinese Virus.
I have heard from a reliable source that capacity is measured in the number of hours worked not the number of vehicles produced.
Is that sarcasm? Capacity is number of vehicles produced.
COVID is what’s slowing down this plant right now. Every time there is a case they need to stop production and clean etc for a day or two. The line speed is slower due to the new vehicles. Only Tahoe and Yukon being made currently, no suburban or XL.
Not sarcasm. Yeah right.
We’ve had plenty cases ( too many) and the line has never stopped for cleaning or compassion
You should call it the bat corona-virus because it came from bats.
China has done a better job of stopping the corona-virus than the USA.
Not true . You are relying on the communist party’s numbers . Funeral home traffic strongly disagrees with official numbers .
Also they welded shut the front doors of apartment blocks with govt workers dropping off food . They had drones following around people .
We are working 48 hours a week in there a lot more case of the covid-19 has been going around
Zero. Fs. Given
I work for this company and we are working 3 shifts 6 days a week that’s 48 hours a week we have always worked those hours nothing new…BUT WE HAVE OVER 18! people test positive and 3 this week alone! So that last june 5th positive case is BS! They have trying to cover up the numbers for weeks DO NOT BELIEVE GM!!!!
I know there’s been more than one, I tested positive on the week of the 15th
I actually do believe GM. When I see what is happening in the US with the Wuhan Virus, I believe employers are doing more to stay healthy than people are doing in their personal lives.
BS, GM is not protecting their workers. It looks good on paper and in the news but ask the people who work there. They do not do contact tracing, an employee who was exhibiting symptoms asked his/her supervisor to go to medical and was denied until the last 45 minutes of the shift…. she got the virus from a co worker therefore all members in that team should have been notified and quarantined but they weren’t so I say GM trucks come before people lives.
My understanding is that a typical auto plant in the US doesn’t make a profit until 87% plant utilization.
This article is a COMPLETE LIE! Check CDC and OSHA to see how many positive cases we’ve had tested in our VERY OWN MEDICAL! That’s not counting the ones tested at their personal doctors! We are over 100!! DO YOUR JOB AND ACTUALLY GET FACTS!
Well i work at Wentzville and we’re going 100 moh 6 days/ nights a week and we have 6 Covid cases that i know of!
If we had the manpower we probably would be doing the same. I will admit though we are still working out issues as if the core team and engineers were not working on this launch for the past year. I am sure after the 4th we will go back to our 6 days. As far the virus management tries to keep it hush hush but thankfully most people will post that they are positive as we realized that it was up to us the workers to help keep each other safe.
Maybe if the Chicom’s hadn’t eat a bat then this plant would be operating at full capacity so these BRAVE and AMERICAN workers wouldn’t be affected!
I know there’s been more than one, I tested positive on the week of the 15th
I work at Arlington and Covid-19 is running rampant through that plant. People are going out constantly. Kenny Hines should have told you that he and all the other shop committee people are currently out with 1 said to be positive and others quarantined. While they may be running at 25% it may be geared more toward manpower with people being out for various reasons 1 mainly being Covid-19. Protocol is out the window, they do not inform people who come in contact with infected people; you are expected to work until you yourself begin having symptoms while yet you may be exposing your family at home. I know I should have been contacted at least once for contact tracing but yet to have been called. Hopefully you will get this and read it but no I can’t put a real name or email because GM does believe retaliation.
I don’t know where you get your facts from or maybe that is what GM wants the public to know but you are wrong as to what we are building right now or maybe I just don’t know the difference between a Yukon, Suburban or Escalade. Stop getting your info from whomever it is, it’s obviously pro-GM and even with a shop chairman Kenny Hines, he may not be pro GM but definitely not for the people, he is Pro-Kenny so if management tells him they want us to work in these conditions kenny will roll with them.
Our plant in Lockport, NY has cases and they don’t contact trace or tell the workers they have worked with. We’ve had couples that live together, where one has been tested and out while the other has to continue to work with others. How does this make sense?!
We’re also on the edge of emergency status and I’m being forced to work on the 4th of July.
All I know is when walking into the Arlington plant and walking out, there’s always a line at medical. Except for maybe 1 day this week. There has to be more than 100 confirmed cases here.
I see people replying that they are positive.
My question though is how many are actually sick, is it just a mild sickness or severe? Are any of them hospitalized? Are all cases asymptomatic? If none of these cases result in hospitalization or severe sickness. Then why are you whining? Honestly, we live in a generation of people who want to complain and be a victim. Its so saddening to see what the workforce has become.
They should be contact tracing and doing tests , not just temperature checks
One worker! Why is it assumed that the work environment is the danger place. Where did this infected worker go or be with that contacted the virus? Just like parents that blame the school environment where their kids get sick from other kids. No where else?