Navistar union leader: Springfield plant could resume production next week

A parts shortage caused by the national GM strike led Navistar to temporarily cease production in Springfield last month. JEFF GUERINI/STAFF

A parts shortage caused by the national GM strike led Navistar to temporarily cease production in Springfield last month. JEFF GUERINI/STAFF

A local union official at Navistar said production at the Springfield plant could resume as early as next week after both its assembly lines were shut down because of a parts shortage created by a nationwide strike at General Motors.

Chris Blizard, the president of UAW Local 402, said it’s likely that those assembly lines could build trucks and vans again starting next Monday after the 6-week GM strike officially ended on Friday. The strike affected several facilities that provide parts to Navistar, which builds trucks and vans for GM.

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However, Blizard said company officials have not confirmed what day production would resume at the Springfield plant. He said in past conversations, company officials estimated that it would take at least a week after the strike to get the plant running again.

Blizard said it depends on how long its takes for GM affiliated facilities to start making parts again.

The parts shortage caused by the strike led Navistar to temporarily cease production in Springfield last month, though the plant also builds non GM medium-duty trucks on its main line. The move left about 1,400 assembly production employees out of work, the News-Sun has reported.

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The plant has remained open throughout the GM strike, and Blizard said about 89 members of his union were still working at the plant following the decision to stop production.

On Oct. 7, production resumed on the main line of Navistar’s Springfield plant for a week to focus on non GM trucks. The strike that involved about 46,000 members of the United Auto Workers union at GM facilities across the country also impacted Navistar’s Truck Specialty Center in Springfield.

About 40 workers at the specialty center, which modifies trucks for clients, in Springfield are expected be temporarily laid off.

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Mike Willis, a supervisor at the specialty center, said some of those workers could be temporarily out of work for as long as two to three weeks.

“If Navistar, if the assembly plant, can’t run production and produce vehicles, then we don’t get vehicles to work on,” Willis said last week.

Representatives of Navistar did not respond to a request for comment as of late Monday morning.

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