Workers at Ford, General Motors and Toyota, among others, are working to make medical gear during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cindy Parkhurst, 55, a Ford employee, had the option to stay home and collect pay while the plant remained closed because of the pandemic but she instead chose to help make medical gear that is in short supply for health care workers, the news agency reported.
"I didn't give it a second thought," Parkhurst told the Associated Press. "It's a neat thing to do for the community, for the first responders who definitely need this kind of protective gear."
Nationwide, workers like Parkhurst have chosen to switch gears to manufacturing face shields, surgical masks, respirators and ventilators to help offset the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers. The workers have also been working in the repurposed factories to make hand sanitizer and soap, the news agency reported.
There are more than 800 Ford employees working at four sites across Detroit as of late April, while General Motors has approximately 400 workers at two sites—one in Detroit and another in Kokomo, Indiana. Toyota has approximately 60 employees in Michigan, Alabama, Kentucky and Texas also making PPE, according to the news agency.
"Instead of being home and not helpful, I thought I'd be productive here," Jody Barrowman, a General Motors employee, told the Associated Press.
Barrowman told the news agency she was happy to make PPE for first responders because GM was donating it where it needed to go. The workers have been able to take masks home to their families because they have been so efficient.
"I dropped some off at my grandparents. My parents took a full packet of masks at my house. So, it's not just helping the first responders. It's helping me and my family feel safe," Barrowman told the news agency.
Detroit automakers are hoping to restart production on vehicles soon, but both Ford and GM have said they will continue to make PPE, the news agency reported.
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