General Motors plans to increase production of light-duty trucks at its Fort Wayne, Indiana, assembly plant following President Trump’s tariff announcement.

The vehicle manufacturer will hire hundreds of temporary workers to maximize production.

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Per Fox Business:

Trump, who views tariffs as a way to bring in tax revenue for proposed tax cuts while spurring a revitalization of domestic manufacturing, has said sedans, SUVs, crossovers, minivans, cargo vans and light trucks will be affected.

It will also hit key automobile parts such as engines, transmissions, powertrain parts and electrical components, though there are “processes to expand tariffs on additional parts if necessary,” according to the administration.

The company currently produces light-duty trucks at its Fort Wayne Assembly plant in Roanoke, Indiana, and also at its Silao Complex in Mexico. It produces heavy-duty trucks in Flint, Michigan, and its Oshawa Assembly in Canada.

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All other plants in the U.S., Mexico and Canada are on their scheduled production.

From The Detroit News:

The announcement came Thursday, the day that President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on imported vehicles began being collected. Trump cited national security concerns and the need for a robust supply chain in the decision, and has insisted the levies will increase U.S. manufacturing.

“General Motors will be making operational adjustments at Fort Wayne Assembly, including hiring temporary employees, to support current manufacturing and business needs,” the Detroit automaker said in a statement. “We continuously update and revise production schedules as part of our standard process of evaluating and aligning to manage vehicle inventory.”

The automaker declined to specify how much production it’s adding of the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, or exactly how many temporary workers it’s hiring. Rich LeTourneau, United Auto Workers Local 2209 shop chairman, however, says the company is hiring about 225 to 250 new full-time temporary workers in addition to some part-time temporary employees after negotiations with the union.

He told members in a bargaining committee report that the plant also is adding daily and weekend overtime and increasing the assembly line speed by nine to 10 vehicles produced per hour. That’d be about 65 jobs per hour, up from 55, LeTourneau said.

 

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