General Motors on Thursday said it was idling its full-size pickup truck plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, due to a parts shortage caused by a strike at key supplier American Axle & Manufacturing.
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GM spokesman Pat Morrissey told Reuters about 1,250 workers at the plant, which builds the highly profitable Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, had been told not to report for the first shift of production on Friday.
“It’s due to a lack of material,” Morrissey told Reuters, referring to gears, axles, drivelines and other products normally supplied to GM by American Axle, where unionised workers walked out over a contract dispute at midnight on Wednesday.
Morrissey reportedly said operations at GM’s other North American plants were continuing without interruption for the time being.
Meanwhile, the CN railway company told Reuters late on Thursday that the company had resumed normal service to Ford and GM plants in Canada.
Contract talks have reportedly resumed under the supervision of government mediators between CN and the Canadian Auto Workers union (which also represents many railway workers) to resolve a week-long strike which has seen managers driving locomotives and working in freight yards.
