However, the Ford and Mercedes mandates did not apply to workers at the companies’ U.S. assembly plants. A spokesperson for Daimler told Automotive News that the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International factory in Vance, Ala., does not have a mandate in place “at this point in time.”
The UAW, which represents Detroit 3 factory workers, said in a statement last week that it “continues to strongly encourage all members to get vaccinated but understands that in some cases health-related and religious-related issues do not make that possible. We will review our over 700 employer contracts and see how this rule impacts the current protocols in place at different worksites as well as any impacts on terms of our existing contracts.”
General Motors said in a statement to Automotive News last week that “we continue to strongly encourage our employees to get vaccinated given the broad availability of safe and highly efficacious vaccines, which data consistently show is the best way to protect yourself and those around you. We will continue to review our options and will share with our employees first any changes to our current protocols.”
But mandatory shots will soon be required for workers at Detroit 3 factories in Canada. Workers at Stellantis and GM plants there are expected to be immunized by mid-December, and Ford Canada’s mandate is expected to take effect in January.
“Vaccines and vaccine mandates have proven to be effective, and we feel this is the responsible action to take at this time to protect our employees and their families as well as those visiting our facilities,” Stellantis said in an email to sibling publication Automotive News Canada.
But on the U.S. side of the border, Stellantis said last week that “as part of our protocol, all U.S. employees have been asked to self-certify their vaccination status since spring. We are continuing to monitor the situation and, in partnership with the UAW, evaluating additional actions to take in the best interest of employee health and safety.”
Jerry Dias, president of the Canadian autoworkers union Unifor, said the union is in favor of vaccination policies but takes issue with longtime members losing their jobs for choosing not to be vaccinated, Automotive News Canada reported.
