125 workers at GM Toledo transmission plant idled due to ongoing strike in Missouri
The remaining 1,275 UAW Local 14 members continue to work on other assembly lines in the Toledo factory
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Outside GM Toledo Propulsion Systems, it’s business as usual. Inside, one assembly line is now idled.
“We ship to the Wentzville facility that’s been down ever since the beginning of the strike about 600 transmissions a day, and when they stop accepting, at some point, we have to stop building,” said Tony Totty, President of UAW Local 14.
Totty explained that assembly line on second shift makes 8-speed transmissions for the truck plant in Missouri. That plant in Wentzville is on strike, so those transmissions coming from Toledo are not needed. Now, 125 employees at the factory on Alexis Rd. will be forced off work.
“This is different than before. You know, in 2019, we all went out on strike. It was a national strike, not just a local thing, and now, going by department to department, we all knew this could be a possibility, but it really snuck up on us and nobody was expecting us to go out like this,” continued Totty. “It’s different. Normally, when you’re receiving strike pay, you know, you have a strike sign in your hand and you’re standing up and you’re wanting your contract to represent your work. This isn’t that.”
Totty said those workers will start signing up for strike benefits Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, but they will not be on strike. Instead of picketing, those members of UAW Local 14 will be assigned to volunteer in the community.
“We’re going to set it up to see, first, what they would like to do, and we’ve already reached out to our community partners to see the need. So, it could be anything from working at the library to maybe reading to kids in school,” added Totty, who said the remaining 1,275 workers here will continue to build transmissions to send other plants that continue to operate across the country.
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