WARREN (WWJ) – Stellantis workers in Macomb County may see their hours slashed or changed completely after the automaker announced it will cut the third shift from its production plant in Warren, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
The change affects the Warren Truck Assembly Plant off Mound Road that employs roughly 5,500 people who produce the Wagoneer SUVs.
Stellantis spokeswoman Ann Marie Fortunate said in a prepared statement that the plant's return to two shifts is due to the global microchip shortage and the company's plan "to improve production efficiency."
The company did not say in their statement how many employees at the Warren plant who worked third shift would be affected, but officials assured that no worker would go without a job.
The plant's full-time third-shift seniority employees will be assigned to one of the remaining two shifts while part-time employees will see their hours cut, Stellantis said in a statement.
Some employees may even be transferred to other plants in the area, such as the Detroit Assembly Complex, which produces the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs.
But one key factor remains abundantly clear.
"No one is being laid off," said Eric Graham, president of United Auto Workers Local 140 that represents Stellantis employees at Warren Truck Assembly Plant.
Stellantis told The Detroit News that notices were went on Wednesday to Michigan's Labor Department, the city of Warren and the UAW, but Graham told The Detroit News he did not get a worker adjustment and retraining notification from the company for the contingent employees who will see their hours cut.
Graham called Stellantis' announcement on Wednesday a "quick" decision and does not address the concerns raised previously at the Warren plant.
In a letter to his membership, Graham wrote about the reported complaints on the Wagoneers and the issues surrounding the software. He also addressed unscheduled employee absences and other issues that, without improvement, could cause the plant to miss out on future product allocation
"The defects in the trucks is above unacceptable and absenteeism is at 15%."
Stellantis has given the plant a March 2023 deadline to make improvements to overall quality and reduce employee absences.
Graham did agree that some of the quality issues do stem from the global microchip shortage. As reported by The Detroit News, the shortage has disrupted production, leaving employee shifts "up in the air."
Graham said these issues and more will be subject to contract negotiations scheduled to begin in the summer of 2023.
"Don't get frustrated by what's happening," he said to employees via The Detroit News. "Let's control what we can control. It's not something that can't be reversed. It's not too late."
The Warren Truck Assembly Plant produces the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, the new longer wheelbase L versions and the previous-generation Ram Classic pickup truck.