April 28, 2020—Medical and industry experts weigh in on why more UAW-represented Fiat Chrysler Automobile workers have been reported dead than those at Ford or General Motors, reported the Detroit Free Press.
The UAW has confirmed the deaths of more than two dozen workers connected to the Detroit Three. FCA accounts for 15 of those people.
FCA has a large presence in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties where the epicenter of Michigan's coronavirus took place.
Some factors to consider relate to the plants themselves, such as the density of workers, cleaning practices in plants, shared lunch and eating spaces, whether there is a culture of working while sick and the accessibility of hand-washing stations, according to the report.
Julia Heck, an adjunct associate professor at the UCLA School of Public Health, pointed to several factors as considerations, including demographics and whether those working at various plants differ in average ages, the ratio of male and female workers and the racial and ethnic background of workers.
In another report from the Detroit Free Press, the FCA is also reconsidering U.S. production restart dates now for May 18 instead of May 4, given Michigan's recently-extended stay at home order in place that goes through May 15.
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Image: Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (FCA photo)
