GM replaces more than 1,000 workers with 50 robots at flagship Detroit plant: Were disgusted

General Motors has gutted its electric-vehicle ambitions and killed more than 1,000 jobs at its flagship Detroit assembly plant — replacing those workers with 50 robots and sparking outrage from labor unions.The replacement “collaborative robots,” or “cobots,” have been installed on the assembly line at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Michigan amid a sharply reduced demand for its EV models and the ensuing push to cut costs, reports said.The machines are now working alongside the remaining humans there who attach the body panels to vehicles as they move down the track, according to AutoBlog.The automaker insists insisting the cobots are necessary at the Detroit-Hamtramck electric-truck plant to stay competitive while improving “safety and ergonomics” for the workers, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.“We’ve been installing cobots across our manufacturing footprint as part of a broader push to bring more advanced technology into our operations,” spokesman Kevin Kelly said.“At Factory ZERO, we are implementing them alongside our team — helping improve safety and ergonomics, while keeping our operations flexible and competitive.”But United Auto Workers Local 22 President James Cotton isn’t buying it, saying the machines are simply a cost-cutting measure that is taking jobs from his union members.“Our manpower is being taken away from us,” Cotton said, according to Crains.“From top to bottom, we’re disgusted that they have cobots in our plants,” he said.The number of labor hours required to produce a car has declined 50% to 70% since the 1980s, Crains reported.But that hasn’t stopped UAW wages from going up.

The union was able to make historic wage gains in 2023, and the union will likely seek stronger protections in its upcoming 2028 contract negotiations, the outlet said.Cotton said that despite the company’s claim of the technology making conditions safer, he has safety concerns with robots working next to humans and tha...