Production at the automobile factories stopped. Major automakers are feeling the strain of anti-vaccine protests that have blocked several major bridges on the US-Canada border. As anti-vaccine protests in Canada and the US enter their third week, giants such as Honda, Toyota, General Motors, Ford and Stellantis have had to make new decisions for their factories.
Production in automobile factories stopped due to anti-vaccine opponents. The shutdown at auto plants is the latest major blow to the auto industry, which is still affected by the shortage of semiconductor chips, which has slowed production and caused the prices of both new and used cars to rise.
Vaccine opponents big blow to auto factories
Convoy protests about opposing COVID-19 vaccine guidelines by truckers crossing into the US and truckers from western Canada to the country’s capital, Ottawa It started in January after collaborating. The protests were embraced by Republican politicians in the US, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Protests blocked traffic on the Ambassador Bridge connecting the USA to Canada, forcing automakers to cut production. Ford said the bridge protest “harmed customers, auto workers, suppliers, companies and communities on both sides of the border, which have suffered parts shortages for two years due to the global semiconductor problem, COVID and more.”
Toyota shut down two of its factories in Kentucky and Ottawa due to supply chain chaos caused by the bridge protests. Stellantis, parent company of Dodge, Jeep and Ram, said it has cut one of its shifts at the Windsor facility, but the other shifts will proceed as usual. Honda suspended one of its production lines at its Ontario plant, while General Motors canceled a shift at its Michigan plant.
With the help of hundreds of heavy-duty trucks they use to block traffic, protesters are demanding an end to all vaccine mandates and COVID-related restrictions that require businesses to check proof of vaccination. The number of protesters, which was a few hundred on weekdays, rose to over a thousand at the weekend.
Production at auto plants has stopped, but still the protests seem unpopular among Canadians; Surveys say three-quarters of Canadians support vaccination passports for closed meals and gatherings. The Canadian trucking industry also condemned the move, noting that truckers are among the types of workers most vaccinated.
You can share your views on the impact of anti-vaccine demonstrations on factories in the comments section and on the SDN Forum.
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