DETROIT (WWJ) -- On day one of the historic United Auto Workers union strike against the Big Three, Metro Detroit is already seeing the first ripple effects.
WWJ AutoBeat Reporter Jeff Gilbert reported Friday that officials at Ford Motor Co. say they will need to lay off about 600 employees at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, as a direct result of the UAW strike.
Gilbert explained that Ford employees affected by this are not the workers who are on strike.
"You'll recall that strike was targeted to the final assembly and paint operations, while workers in body construction, south sub-assembly and integrated stamping have now been notified not to report to work because obviously there's no work for them to do with the others on strike," Gilbert said.
Ford is stressing that this is not a lockout, but in fact a consequence of the strike.
Gilbert said a source at Ford is also telling him that, under Michigan law, workers who are laid off because of a strike are not entitled to unemployment or to company benefits.
Meanwhile, Glenn Stevens of the group MichAuto says auto suppliers will soon start feeling the impacts of this strike.
"There will be layoffs," he said. "...And we're really concerned about smaller companies, but maybe even some larger ones with regards to financial distress; maybe even potential bankruptcies."
And as the UAW strike goes on, Stevens said it could affect everything from economic development to new investments in local plants.
"We've got 12 assembly plants in Michigan; they're extremely important to our economy," Stevens said. "But they have to be competitive, they have to be world-class quality, and this is of concern to us as we look at how things are progressing right now."
News of the Ford layoffs came as thousands gathered for a rally in Downtown Detroit, just outside Huntington Place, where the North American International Auto Show Charity Preview was happening Friday night.