Even after the first wave of COVID-19 infections subsides and some of the global economy reopens, local outbreaks around the world threaten to temporarily shut down supplier plants and limit domestic vehicle production, he said.
“The auto industry, when we beat the pandemic and people go back to work, what they will find is that they are even more vulnerable now because of the global supply chain,” he said. “It’s almost as if the world needs to be healed at the same time in order for the supply chain to work.”
In the meantime, as North American plants remain closed, Dias said unions must ensure that workers are protected financially and are not rushed back to work too soon.
Dias is part of a COVID-19 task force with the heads of the Detroit 3’s Canadian units. The task force is charged with implementing enhanced protections for workers at factories and warehouses.
