Production at General Motors Co.'s Wentzville, Missouri, midsize truck plant is down as the automaker awaits the end of a labor dispute at the plant's seat supplier plant owned by Lear Corp.

Five hundred Lear workers represented by United Auto Workers Local 282 are on strike "for their fair share," UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell said in a statement.

“The company has had plenty of time to make things right, but instead spent half a billion dollars on stock buybacks and dividends last year," Campbell said. "Now Wentzville Assembly is down thanks to Lear’s refusal to bargain a fair deal.”

GM spokesperson Kevin Kelley on Monday confirmed the plant "was impacted by part shortages resulting from a labor dispute at one of our suppliers. We hope both sides work quickly to resolve their issues so we can resume our regular production schedule to support our customers."

In a statement, Lear said the union informed the company late Sunday that it would strike.

“We have negotiated in good faith with the UAW for some time to reach a new collective bargaining agreement for our Wentzville, Missouri, seating assembly plant," the company said, adding it "stands firm in supporting our employees and the communities in which we operate. With over 100 years in the automotive industry, we pride ourselves on our successful relationships with our employees and union partners. We remain committed to reaching an agreement that will benefit all parties.”

About 4,600 employees at the Wentzville plant make the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize trucks and the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana full-size vans.

The Detroit Free Press reported on Wentzville's shutdown earlier Monday.

©2024 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.