GM Delays Sunday’s Third Shift in Flint So Workers Can Watch Lions

Well, here’s a line shift that won’t draw a penalty—or any complaints from the Detroit Lions or their gritty head coach, Dan Campbell.

General Motors has delayed Sunday’s 10 p.m.–7 a.m. shift at its Flint Assembly plant, which is roughly 70 miles northwest of Detroit, so that employees won’t miss any of the Lions’ NFC championship football game in San Francisco. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST. The contest is the first NFC title game the Lions have participated in since the 1991 season.

In a social media post informing its 1500 third-shift workers of the change, GM wrote, “We recognize the Detroit Lions playing in an NFC Championship game as a rare, unique opportunity that warrants this temporary schedule adjustment to allow employees to enjoy the game and to make it to work on time.”

GM spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that normal production will begin at 10:42 p.m. for Body and Paint, and at 11 p.m. for General Assembly. The Flint Assembly plant is the only GM plant with a third shift on Sundays. It builds the HD, or heavy-duty, versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.

So far, no other Detroit-based automaker has followed suit. In fact, Stellantis (which owns the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands) has already punted the idea. A spokesperson says that although the automaker “is proud of our hometown team … Stellantis will run normal production schedules on Sunday to meet the expectations of our customers and dealers.”

Prior to this month’s NFC playoff victories over the Rams and Buccaneers, the Lions hadn’t won a playoff game in more than three decades, so naturally the reaction to General Motors’ announcement was met with jubilation. One person wrote on Reddit, “This brings a tear to my eyes.” Another joked, “‘We aren’t going to give you a raise, but we’re going to let you watch the Lions game [instead]. Ok, I’m good with that.” A third wondered, “So what happens if the game goes into overtime???”

Perhaps the best comment of all (posted on Instagram) was discovered by the Free Press: “In my 13+ years at GM I’ve never seen a postponement to start the week … even 2 feet of snow wouldn’t do it lol. This is for the city! Go Lions!”

While many commenters suggest that GM is just trying to avoid mass absenteeism at the Flint plant, there’s no doubt that the automaker’s decision is at the very least a great public relations move. It certainly isn’t a free gift, however, as third-shifters will lose an hour’s pay.

That brings us to this: Although the Lions are owned by the Ford family, Ford Motor Company has not yet announced if it is going to adjust its third-shift schedule. Perhaps it is holding out for a Super Bowl? Regardless, we’re guessing there will soon be a massive outbreak of the Silver and Honolulu Blue (Oval) flu … right about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Here’s our prescription: Football, pizza, and beer. Cheers to Detroit.

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