“As we stated yesterday in regard to FCA, the UAW has and continues to have dialogue with all of our employers and employment sectors about the safety and security surrounding reopening worksites. In the case of the Big 3, through the Task Force we have had an ongoing dialogue and we have supported a number of measures put in place to address Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines from GM, FCA and Ford to protect our health and safety in the plant. Our volunteer members and the companies have done great work to reconfigure plants to achieve this safety goal. We continue to advocate for as much testing as possible at the current time and eventually full testing when available. As for the start date, the companies contractually make that decision and we all knew this day would come at some point. Our UAW focus and role is and will continue to be, on health and safety protocols to protect our members. My own family will be among those that will be reporting and my responsibility to our UAW members and my family will be consistent. We must implement and follow these guidelines and self-reporting procedures we have worked out. And the UAW will fulfill its role to continue to actively monitor and aggressively respond regarding all issues impacting the health and safety of UAW members in whatever manner may be necessary as we return to the worksite.”

My Brothers and Sisters, I want to start my message today by commending the brave UAW Ford, FCA and GM men and women who have stepped up and agreed to serve as paid volunteers, to go back into production facilities to begin readying them for a restart date. That effort began today, and these dedicated volunteers will play a critical role in putting our members’ safety first as we get our economy back to work. These members will be helping to ensure that the plants meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) health and safety COVID-19 protocols.

My Sisters and Brothers, In my message today, I’d like to talk a little more personally about this extraordinary time in our history and the resilience of my UAW family. I have been with this union for more than 40 years, starting out in the plant as a young man. Like most of us, I have never seen anything like what we’re facing today and could never have anticipated living through times like these. I know that so many of you, like me, have lost loved ones and are grieving those losses. And I know you worry everyday about your families, your communities and what the coming weeks will mean for us all.