Automobile giant General Motors (GM) is facing growing backlash from labour unions after replacing more than 1,000 workers at its Detroit-area assembly plant with 50 robotic units, according to media reports.
The newly installed “collaborative robots,” or cobots, have been deployed on the assembly line at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Michigan as the company grapples with slowing demand for its electric vehicle (EV) models and seeks to reduce operating costs, the New York Post reported.
The move has sparked outrage among union leaders. The president of UAW Local 22, which represents workers at the facility, confirmed to Crain’s Detroit Business that the robots are manufactured by Fanuc and said workers are deeply concerned about the impact on jobs.
“It’s always a concern when you see a robot coming to a plant, especially after they have laid off over a thousand people,” he told Crain’s Detroit Business. “They say it’s the wave of the future, and if that’s so, they’re taking away jobs from people.”
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has reportedly filed grievances over the deployment of the robotic systems.
Experts say the trend reflects a broader shift in the automotive industry toward automation. Wayne State University professor Marick Masters told Crain’s Detroit Business that vehicle assembly today requires 50 to 70 percent fewer labour hours than it did in the 1980s, a figure expected to decline further as manufacturers continue investing in advanced robotics and automated production technologies.
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