Navistar to temporarily stop production on GM lines in Springfield

Two production assembly lines at Navistar’s Springfield plant are expected to shut down temporarily for a week beginning Monday because of a shortage of parts due to the nationwide GM strike, according to local union officials.

Chris Blizard, president of UAW Local 402, said the shortage in GM parts has caused Navistar to stop production on lines that make GM vehicles in Springfield. He said as many as 1,400 workers could be temporarily out of work as a result. However, he added that no official numbers have been released by the company.

“They don’t think they will have the parts to sustain production next week,” he said.

MORE: Length of GM strike will determine if there is an impact on Navistar

However, workers affected will go back to work when production resumes on those lines, Blizard added. The plant will still be operational and will not close down.

Representatives of Navistar did not respond to a request for comment as of Thursday afternoon.

Navistar builds medium-duty GM trucks on its main line in Springfield and cutaway vans for the company on its line two. Some of the parts for those vehicles are sent to Navistar by GM suppliers.

United Auto Workers authorized a strike against GM that started on Monday amid contract negations between the union and the vehicle manufacturer. The parties failed to reach an agreement on a new four-year contract and approximately 50,000 workers across the country are taking part in the strike, according to the Associated Press.

Blizard said all of the workers he represents in Springfield are Navistar employees. He said they are not participating in the strike called by the chapters of the UAW that represent GM workers.

However, he said it is unclear how long the strike will last or when production will resume on the assembly lines affected by the shortage in parts.

“This is all subject to change. We have no way of knowing how long this could affect production. This all depends on when the UAW and GM reach an agreement,” read a bulletin sent to UAW members at the Springfield plant this week.

MORE: Layoffs at Navistar could affect 136 assembly workers

Navistar recently decided to ramp up production of GM vans in Springfield. The increase in production started earlier this week, Blizard said.

Navistar announced last month that it would be reducing production on its main line in Springfield due to truck production exceeding orders industry wide. The reduction resulted in 126 workers being laid off.

The layoffs started earlier this month and will end on Friday.

Originally 136 assembly production workers were scheduled to be laid off. However, officials with Navistar alerted local union representatives of the change on Wednesday.


The Springfield News-Sun has provided award-winning coverage of Navistar and the company’s impact on the region’s workforce. Recent Navistar coverage includes reviewing the company’s latest financial reports, talking to union officials and releasing information regarding line speed reductions and potential layoffs.

By the numbers:

1,400: Number of employees that will potentially be affected by the parts shortage

2,000: Approximate number of employees that work for Navistar in Springfield

2: Number of lines at Navistar’s Springfield plant that will be down next week.

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