GE workers walk off the job in an act of solidarity to demand to build ventilators |

[bhaigan]

General Electric factory workers walked off the job on Monday in an act of solidarity to demand the company use its factories to produce ventilators for use in the fight against the coronavirus. 

As the peak of coronavirus infections and deaths is still nearly two weeks away, GE workers have demanded the company convert its jet engine factories to begin producing ventilators. 

Vice News reported that workers at the company’s Massachusetts aviation facility stood six feet apart and held a silent protest. Union members at the Boston headquarters marched six feet apart and said the company should retrofit its spaces to fight the pandemic. 

 

 

The protests come days after GE announced it would lay off 10 per cent of its domestic aviation workforce, resulting in job losses for nearly 2,600 workers. In addition to the layoff, the company also said it would temporarily lay off half of its maintenance workers in hopes it would save the company “$50m to $1bn.”

GE, which fulfils defence contracts for the US government, would be among the companies set to receive a federal financial bailout from the multi-trillion dollar coronavirus stimulus package.