Assembly workers' concerns over the coronavirus at the Dearborn Truck Plant delayed the start of a shift Wednesday evening at the plant, Ford Motor Company confirmed.
The plant, which builds the bestselling F-150 pickup, was scheduled to begin a second shift at 6 p.m., after sending the first shift home early to deep clean following reports of a worker testing positive for the virus.
"Tonight, a small group of employees at Dearborn Truck Plant raised concerns after Ford communicated that an employee on an earlier shift had tested positive for COVID-19," said Kelli Felker, Ford's global manufacturing and labor communications manager.
"Following our global safety protocol, Ford had already thoroughly cleaned and disinfected the plant areas affected prior to the night shift. We talked with our employees to calm their fears and resumed production tonight," she said.
Felker declined to confirm a time period the assembly line was not running.
Ford has implemented a comprehensive screening and safety protocol. Workers are wearing face masks, face shields and social distance. Yet a number of workers have been sent home to be quarantined after potential exposure to the deadly virus in the plant, which some workers say is unsettling.
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UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg acknowledged a delayed start to the second shift.
"The main concern of the UAW is for the health and safety of our members, their families and their communities," he said. "The UAW continues to aggressively monitor the protocols in place at all work sites and address member concern and adherence to the health and safety protections at the work site."
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The Detroit Three automakers restarted production Monday after being closed two months because of the coronavirus outbreak. On Tuesday, Ford shut down the Chicago Assembly Plant briefly after a worker tested positive.
On Thursday, Ford is scheduled to host President Donald Trump at the Rawsonville plant in Ypsilanti, where he plans to recognize the company's work in making personal protection equipment as part of the fight against COVID-19.
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-222-6512 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.
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