Stellantis to offer voluntary buyouts for employees across 20 locations

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Stellantis is offering buyouts to certain employees. Meanwhile, FOX 2 spoke with a worker and a labor expert about what the automaker is trying to accomplish as the deadline looms for employees to decide.

What they're saying:

Douglas King has been with Stellantis for close to 30 years and the auto industry has changed and knows the company has to be nimble to compete.

"They’re making operational adjustments to stay competitive, and we are behind on electrification. They’re making those adjustments as well," he said. "In the last 30 years that I've been here there’s been a lot of operational adjustments, so I’m not very concerned. I think they’re doing what they need to do to keep the company going."

By the numbers:

The voluntary buyouts apply to eligible employees in about 20 locations based on information obtained by FOX 2 of up to $72,000.

Stellantis wrote to FOX 2 that the buyouts and retirement incentive packages apply to "represented production employees" at its manufacturing and Mopar facilities in Detroit and Toledo as well as production, skilled and salaried bargaining unit employees in Illinois Wayne State Labor expert Marick Masters says this will allow the automaker to reduce labor costs and reset the workforce.

"So that It can create workforce that in terms of skill set and productivity, is more in tune with its future needs," Masters said. 

Stellantis wrote to FOX 2:

"…continues to review its operations to improve efficiency and protect its competitiveness in a very dynamic market."

What's next:

Workers have till May 8 to decide if they’ll take the buyout.