BUFFALO, N.Y. — A spokeswoman for General Motors confirms that three staffers, two security guards and a millworker, from the GM Tonawanda Power Train Plant have tested positive for COVID-19.
Cherie Messore tells 2 On Your Side that the two security guards last worked at the facility on June 3rd. It is unclear about the millwright employee.
She stresses that they became infected by some form of outside exposure.
Messore says their working area has been sanitized and proper precautions have been taken.
Some workers have contacted WGRZ to raise questions about notification of the staff. Messore says she is checking with the plant's medical office to get more information.
UAW Local 774 President JR Baker says "With the masks and hand washing and sanitizing - using hand sanitizer, taking temperatures - we try to do everything possible. But there's always the element of this happening. So that was our main concern about starting back up. A lot of workers were already at high anxiety about it. You know this doesn't make it better. There's also concern about where they were and it's all timing. That's what the contact tracing does. It finds out where, when and those individuals according to management will be called. So if you don't receive a call you know you don't have to worry about it."
Erie County officials say they will consider a request from the union to have the county set up a mobile testing site for a day at the plant to help calm workers.. But they say they need more information before doing so.
GM and the other automakers closed all their plants at the height of the coronavirus outbreak in March and then started reopening in May after announcing new safety protocols in all facilities.