Tesla CEO Elon Musk. (Photo: Youtube)
Tesla to Reopen Fremont Factory on April 29th
Reopening among stay-at-home orders signals the beginning of California’s economic reopening
By Evan Symon, April 26, 2020 2:21 am
On Saturday, employees at Tesla’s Fremont plant received e-mails to come into work on April 29th, marking the first large employer in California that closed down during the coronavirus pandemic to reopen.
While Bay Area stay-at-home orders are currently in place until May 3rd, Tesla paint and stamping workers at the factory are to get around that. Tesla had previously announced a May 4th factory reopening, but due to demand, a bending Bay Area COVID-19 rate curve, and Tesla itself losing $300 million per week due to the shutdown, the date was moved up.
John, who works at the factory, said there have been mixed reactions to the early reopening.
“You know, on one hand, and lot of us have kids and we’re worried about any lingering spread here,” explained John to the Globe. “But it also means that we get to work again and that we don’t have to navigate through unemployment anymore.
As long as we take all the proper health precautions I think we’ll be ok. I don’t want to spread coronavirus at all, but the economy here is a train wreck.
Health precautions is the deciding factor for many of us. As long as we follow them we can safely resume work.”
Tesla had been largely against closing the Fremont plant last month. Despite Alameda County orders, the plant remained fully open until March 18th when the sheriff arrived to tell them they were in violation of breaking the order. By March 25th it had closed down completely. Tesla tried, and failed, to convince both the county and Fremont officials that the factory was an ‘essential’ business to no avail. Many had criticized Tesla Founder and CEO Elon Musk of putting the company in front of worker health.
The coronavirus restrictions being put aside a few days early by Tesla in favor of restarting the factory has been met by mixed reactions. Much like how many factory workers such as John have stated, it’s largely been split between those on the side of continuing public health restrictions and those in favor of bringing business and commerce back.
Currently Tesla will be the only automaker with a working factory until later in May when Hyundai, Toyota, and Volkswagen factories are scheduled to go back online. GM, Ford, and other car companies with workers under the United Auto Workers (UAW) union are likely not to open next month due to health concerns from the UAW.
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Our condition at Fremont Tesla is not safe as what they are saying with No social distancing and right PPE at work putting our family at risk And reopening sooner will be a high risk for us employees. it is Funny when Tesla told us employees that the first thing they consider is
Our (employees) Safety. However they still want the business or numbers of cars to get back in track with 12hours and 6days a week schedule it is hard to be safe with longer hours . They should think twice before start reopening the plant for our safety and our family, it’ll take only one symptomatic individual to get everyone at work place get the Pandemic.
“….due to health concerns from the UAW?” You mean people might get the flu? The way they do every year? Those people should stay at home then until they get well. Wake up, everybody, the jackboot is being applied quite forcefully to our necks. The “modeling” numbers have all been wrong, the scare numbers they are throwing at us every day are inaccurate (so it’s no wonder people are still frightened!), time to pay attention to what is ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
with No proper PPE and no Social distancing at some work place it is hard to comeback soon., it is funny when they told us employees that Safety is the number one Priority of Tesla however they breaking some rules most specially over worked schedules from 12 hours 6 days a week job. Tesla and their management should think twice before they reopen the plant, remember back on March two individuals did test positive at Tesla plant and it’ll take only one symptomatic person to spread the Pandemic easy and everyone will end up to shelter in place and back to zero again.
Why are you posting multiple times? Is it because your a short and not an employee by any chance?
Me being a pregnant employee and with 3 kids at home i feel they shouldnt open so soon. Everyone works within a foot or closer to each other. At least 17 people work in the car at once right next to each other. I have a family member currently fighting for his life and i am scared shitless that i could catch it and bring home to my children then what. Loose my job and medical benefits for my children and myself. Say we do go back to work and someone has it with no sign of being sick and it spreads to the thousands of employees then what? Dont get me wrong it sucks being stuck at home all the time with a house full of children. But if the choice is my children or my job, kids win hands down. Honestly allot more thought needs to go into reopening the plant. There is no way in hell to have social distancing in this type of job No Way.
My boyfriend works for tesla in production and they haven’t been told to go back to work yet.