By Nora Eckert
DETROIT (Reuters) – Chrysler parent Stellantis is laying off up to 2,450 workers at its Warren Truck assembly plant outside Detroit as the automaker ends production of the Ram 1500 Classic truck.
The layoffs will take effect as early as Oct. 8, the company said, as the plant moves from a two-shift operating pattern to one shift in general assembly. Production of the Jeep Wagoneer at the same facility will remain on two shifts, the company said.
As production of the Ram 1500 Classic ends later this year, the company is shifting focus to the Ram 1500 Tradesman truck, produced at its Sterling Heights assembly facility.
“Introducing the new 2025 Ram 1500 Tradesman with incredible value and content. The updated electrical architecture enables useful new technologies for commercial fleets for better tracking and enhanced safety systems,” said a company spokeswoman.
There are about 3,700 workers at the plant represented by the United Auto Workers union. Union members who are laid off will receive 52 weeks of company-paid supplemental unemployment benefits and 52 weeks of transition assistance, Stellantis confirmed. They will also receive two years of health coverage.
The UAW reached new labor agreements with Stellantis last fall after a historic six-week work stoppage.
Stellantis said last week it was offering a new round of voluntary buyouts to its U.S. salaried workers, the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures that CEO Carlos Tavares is implementing across the company’s U.S. operations.
At the company’s Investor Day in June, Tavares cited weaknesses in at least two of its U.S. factories but declined to name them.
(Reporting by Nora Eckert; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
