Coronavirus halts auto plants in KCK, Claycomo.
Thousands of Kansas City-area auto workers won’t have to report to work as the Big Three automakers announced their facilities would shut down in the wake of the new coronavirus.
General Motors has a plant in Kansas City, Kansas, and Ford has one in Claycomo.
T.J. Berry, executive director of the Clay County Economic Development Council, said the impact of the closure “depends on how long the plants are closed down.”
Ford employs about 8,000 people in Clay County.
Berry said employees across many sectors will face challenges as the coronavirus forces restaurants and retailers to shutter.
But Ford’s employees may be in a better position to handle the economic instability.
“For a Ford worker, they’ve got a lot of safety nets underneath them because of their union,” Berry said.
Workers will likely receive supplemental pay and unemployment benefits, the Associated Press reported.
Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler agreed Wednesday to close their plants, affecting about 150,000 employees.
GM said in a statement that it was suspending operations “due to market conditions, to deep clean facilities and continue to protect people.”
The decision came one day after United Auto Workers urged the companies to cease production for two weeks.