The 2-year-old mandate calling for auto workers to wear face coverings on the job is coming to an end.
Detroit’s automakers and the UAW say they are suspending masking requirements enacted in the spring of 2020, which allowed auto plants to reopen even as the COVID-19 pandemic continued.
The UAW says in a statement the COVID-19 Joint Task Force, which was set up in March 2020 as the pandemic forced manufacturers to shut down assembly lines, is moving “to adopt the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and move to a masks-optional policy for employees at U.S facilities regardless of vaccination status.”
The change came after a meeting of top union officials and executives from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, according to Brian Rothenberg, UAW communications director.
“Each company will communicate when these changes go into effect at their locations,” the union notes.
The Task Force will continue to monitor data and make any adjustments necessary to protect employee health and safety.
“GM facilities located in counties with a CDC designation of low or medium risk may move to optional masking and physical distancing, regardless of vaccination status, unless prohibited by state or local requirements,” the automaker says.
Kelly Stefanich, a spokeswoman for Toyota Motor North America, which is not part of the task force but has followed similar guidelines, says a change in the company’s mask policy is still pending.
Initially, the mask mandate helped overcome COVID-19 fears in the months before vaccines became widely available, allowing manufacturers to restart assembly lines where employees often work elbow to elbow, according to UAW officials.
However, vaccines eventually became more available, and controversy engulfed the use of masks nationwide, with some employees complaining about the mask requirement on social media.
The mask mandate adopted by automakers during the earliest days of the pandemic has been adopted by suppliers across the industry and in other businesses as well. But even though the pandemic has claimed nearly 1million lives in the past two years in the U.S., masks have become increasingly controversial.
The UAW’s Rothenberg notes automakers will continue to adhere to state and local masking requirements where applicable.
However, facilities located in high-risk counties as identified by the CDC must continue to require masking and physical distancing. A site’s COVID-19 county risk level can be checked through the CDC’s tracking site, he says.
While masks are now optional at sites not in high-risk counties, they will still be available for employees and guests who choose to wear one based on personal preference, Rothenberg says.
The UAW has resisted vaccine mandates for employees covered by the union’s labor contracts. GM, Ford and Stellantis do require vaccines for salaried employees.
The new policy guidelines from COVID-19 Task Force state, “The CDC recommends that those who are immunocompromised or high risk for severe disease wear a mask or respirator that provides greater protection. People with symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 also should wear a mask and not report to work.”
The Task Force continues to encourage everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19, or boosted when eligible, to protect family, friends and communities. While the UAW and the automakers will continue following other protocols that have kept workplaces safe, one of the best ways to fight the virus is by getting vaccinated, the union says.
