Company, union won't confirm COVID-19 complaint at FCA facility
Chrysler and Unifor will neither confirm nor deny rumours about a COVID-19 outbreak at Windsor Assembly Plant after official complaints that the company failed to notify employees of potential exposure.
Nevertheless, Unifor Local 444 president Dave Cassidy said the plant is following correct procedure.
“The joint health-and-safety committee is making sure all proper safety protocols are being followed,” Cassidy said Friday.
The Ministry of Labour, Skills and Training Development said this week it has received complaints about possible exposure to COVID-19 at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
“The ministry is still investigating complaints about the employer failing to notify workers of potential exposure to a hazard in the workplace,” a spokesperson said Thursday in an email. “The ministry also received a complaint today about insufficient cleaning. Our investigation is ongoing.”
An employer is required to notify the ministry and its employees if it becomes aware of a COVID-19 outbreak, the spokesperson said.
“Any worker who feels unsafe has the right to refuse work and is encouraged to report their concerns anonymously to our ministry.”
In a followup email on Friday, the ministry directed questions about the number of positive cases at the plant to the local health unit, stating “confirming positive cases of the virus is exclusively the responsibility of public health authorities.”
The health unit also didn't say if there are any confirmed cases at the plant.
“The Windsor-essex County Health Unit continues to investigate COVID-19 cases in the region,” said communication manager Mike Janisse. “As part of the investigation, we collect data to identify exposure risk, including exposure at workplaces. If our investigation identifies an outbreak at any workplace and if there is a concern of possible public exposure in the community, public health would inform Windsor and Essex County residents.”
FCA Canada did not directly address questions about a potential exposure or outbreak at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
Louann Gosselin, head of communications, said FCA protocols including on-site temperature checks, physical distancing, daily questionnaires, continual cleaning and mandatory PPE are “working to prevent the spread of transmission.”
“As COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise across the country, no community, business or industry is immune to the impact of this virus,” she said.
“Like other companies, FCA is seeing this reflected in our workforce as well. We continue to enforce our comprehensive, multi-layered program of healthand-safety measures that was put in place to protect our employees.”