The fifth day of the United Auto Workers strike in the U.S. brings more temporary layoffs for General Motors Co. employees, CNBC reported on Sept. 20.
As the UAW and GM work to reach a deal on their new four-year contract, approximately 4,500 members of Canadian trade union Unifor have been temporarily laid off as production was idled due to a shortage of parts at the automaker's Oshawa assembly plant in Ontario, Canada.
This includes approximately 2,500 workers at the plant and 2,000 from GM's suppliers, CNBC reported, citing the head of Unifor.
In a statement to S&P Global Market Intelligence, a GM spokesperson confirmed that car production was halted at the company's Oshawa assembly, resulting in 2,000 temporary layoffs.
The union did not immediately respond to S&P Global Market Intelligence's requests for comment.
On Sept. 16, approximately 46,000 GM workers in the U.S. went on strike after the UAW and automaker failed to sign a new contract before the previous one expired on Sept. 14.
The Oshawa plant assembles GM's previous-generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks, along with the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS. All of these vehicles are already scheduled to be phased out, CNBC said.
CNBC reported that Unifor President Jerry Dias said GM plans to temporarily lay off an additional 700 workers at the automaker's propulsion plant in St. Catharines, Ontario, where GM makes engines.
Dayton Daily News reported the same day that engine production will stop at GM's DMAX plant in Ohio.
A GM spokesman reportedly said the plant was still running, but about 525 hourly employees will be temporarily laid off beginning next week.
On Sept. 19, the UAW said some progress has been made in the talks with GM but many issues remain unresolved.
The automaker could lose up to $1 billion in cash if the strike runs through a week, according to a Sept. 18 research note from S&P Global Ratings analyst Lawrence Orlowski.
Other experts estimated that GM could lose up to $100 million a day until the strike is over.
Shares of GM were up 0.13% at $37.83 during midday trading on Sept. 20.
