MBUSI reopens Vance plant after temporary shutdown
Mercedes Benz US International restarted operations Monday at its plant in Vance. A month ago, Mercedes announced it was shutting down temporarily to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The company said in a statement released earlier this month that it took recommendations into consideration from local, state and international authorities to extend a halt in operations by several weeks. The temporary shutdown began on March 23. – WBRC
Hyundai’s Montgomery plant slowly restarts car production
The assembly line is moving again at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama more than a month after production was halted because a team member tested positive for Covid-19. The automaker has installed new equipment and put new standards in place for its nearly 3,000 workers. About 50 percent of the production team, about 1,000 members, reported to work Monday. This week, HMMA is only operating first shift, 6:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., and moving the production line very slowly. – WSFA
We may learn today what the governor’s plan is for restarting state
Alabama’s stay-at-home order is set to expire this week, but Governor Kay Ivey hasn’t communicated what reopening will look like. She’s scheduled to speak Tuesday morning. Last Wednesday the governor indicated she wanted to get people back to work but would only re-open if it was safe to do so. – NBC 15
Word from Montgomery: Expect a ‘tightening of the belt’
A Senate committee could take the first step in a sprint to finish two very difficult budgets by mid-May. The Senate’s Finance and Taxation General Fund committee should meet on Tuesday to consider the General Fund budget, which funds most noneducation services in the state. Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, said in an interview on Monday that he was hopeful that they could contain the economic damage wrought by the outbreak. “Frankly, I don’t know that we’re going to be as bad off as we were afraid we were going to be,” he said. “But there’s going to be some tightening of the belt. There’s got to be.” – Montgomery Advertiser
Tyson Foods chairman: ‘The food supply chain is breaking’
The chairman of the world’s second largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork says America’s food supply chain is “breaking” under the strain of the COVID-19 outbreak. In a full-page ad which appeared today in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, John Tyson said his company is meeting the challenges but the nation’s food supply is vulnerable as meat processing plants are shuttered by the pandemic, and farmers are forced to thin herds that they can’t sell. – AL.com
AlabamaWorks! and Workforce Council host Covid-19 webinar series
AlabamaWorks! and the Alabama Workforce Council have been hosting a weekly webinar series with state leaders to share important updates and information on the pandemic. These weekly webinars occur each Tuesday at 4 p.m. and can be viewed on the AlabamaWorks! Facebook page and website. – AL NewsCenter
