An auto plant can’t drop much, especially one that makes highly profitable, heavy-duty pickup trucks. Supply issues, a strike, a once-in-a-generation pandemic, that kind of thing. Now you can add a football match to that list.
The Detroit News reports that GM will delay a shift start time at the Flint Assembly on Sunday so employees can watch the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game. Normally the service starts at 9:45pm on Sunday, but it will be delayed by an hour to 10:45pm so that workers can (hopefully) make it to the end of the 6:30pm game.
Flint Assembly is the only GM plant in Michigan that runs on Sundays, and it’s where the all-important – and enormous – Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD pickups are built. “We know this is a rare moment in Detroit sports history and we want our team to enjoy this moment while still ensuring we provide our customers and dealers with the trucks they need,” said a GM spokesperson in a statement to the Detroit News. One hopes with one’s tongue firmly in one’s cheek.
It is the first time the Lions have reached the 1992 NFC Championship game. The team will play against the San Francisco 49ers in an away game at Levi’s Stadium. If the team wins, the team will advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1957. For a football-loving state like Michigan, this is a big problem.