Union asks GM to close Texas SUV plant during coronavirus outbreak, but it remains open

DETROIT (Reuters) – General Motors Co said on Tuesday its highly profitable SUV assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, remains open despite a request by union leaders to close the plant given the spiking rate of COVID-19 infections in the wider community.

“There have been no changes to our production plans at Arlington because our safety protocols are working,” GM spokesman Jim Cain said in an email. United Auto Workers Local 276 said on Monday that the union local’s bargaining committee had asked the No. 1 U.S. automaker to close the plant until “the curve is flattened” on the coronavirus outbreak in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)