Union Concerned About Automation at GM Plant in Michigan
The installation of dozens of collaborative robots, or “cobots,” at General Motors’ (GM) Factory Zero plant in Michigan has sparked outrage among leaders of the United Auto Workers (UAW), the largest union in the U.S. auto industry, as this is a facility where more than 1,000 workers have been laid off in recent months.
According to the industry publication Crain’s Detroit Business, GM recently increased the number of cobots—robots that work directly alongside humans—on the assembly lines at the iconic facility as part of an intensified strategy for advanced automation.
The automaker stated that cobots are necessary to maintain competitiveness and that they improve ergonomics for workers who produce Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac electric pickup trucks and SUVs at that plant, the company’s oldest.
However, for James Cotton, president of UAW Local 22, the move is eliminating jobs that could be filled by his members. “They’re taking our jobs away,” Cotton told Crain’s.
The union leader, who represents workers at the plant—formerly known as Detroit-Hamtramck—said he recently visited the complex and estimates there are about 50 new Fanuc cobots installing various parts in the vehicles.
In response to Crain’s, GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly confirmed in an email that the Detroit-based automaker has installed “cobots” at all of its production plants “as part of a broader effort to integrate more advanced technology into our operations.”
“At Factory Zero, we are implementing them alongside our team, which helps improve safety and ergonomics while keeping our operations flexible and competitive,” he added.
Opened in 1910 by brothers John and Horace Dodge as an auto parts manufacturing center for Ford, the Detroit-Hamtramck facility eventually became the first assembly plant for Dodge and Chrysler vehicles.
GM acquired the dormant facility in the early 1980s, and by the end of 2020, renamed it Factory Zero, while announcing an investment of more than 2,200 million dollars to convert it into a plant dedicated exclusively to the production of zero-emission models.
Currently, the complex produces the electric versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra, as well as the new GMC Hummer in its two variants and the Cadillac Escalade IQ—models whose sales have declined considerably since tax incentives for these types of vehicles were eliminated in the neighboring country.
As a result, the company eliminated at the end of last year one of the two work shifts operating at Factory Zero, leading to the eventual layoff of nearly 1,200 workers.
