Detroit automakers will reportedly shutter factories—but not Tesla

Enlarge / A General Motors assembly line in Flint, Michigan, in 2019. (credit: Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The nation's "Big Three" automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler) will shut down their factories for at least two weeks, reports indicate. The Associated Press first broke the news, which was confirmed by The Wall Street Journal.

The United Auto Workers union has been pushing for plant closures for days. The union has argued that continuing to manufacture cars during a pandemic puts US autoworkers' lives at risk. But as recently as Tuesday evening, carmakers and the UAW were still hashing out a plan to make automaking safer by limiting work hours and physically spreading out workers.

Union leaders' hands may have been strengthened by news that two autoworkers-one with Fiat Chrysler, the other with Ford-had tested positive for coronavirus.

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