KANSAS CITY, Mo. — United Auto Workers Local 31 held its seventh annual Adopt-A-Family Basketball Tournament at Hy-Vee Arena on Saturday to benefit local Kansas City families in need this holiday season.
Amid temporary layoffs at General Motors Fairfax plant, the union raised over $6,000 for Adopt-A-Family.
"We bring in families that are a little bit less fortunate than ours and we give them a Christmas," UAW Local 31 President Dontay Wilson said.
The union said the basketball tournament is its way of giving back to Kansas City.
“This community stood with us when we were on strike," Wilson said.
Symentha James, along with about 1,000 other General Motors Fairfax workers, were temporarily laid off about two weeks ago, according to UAW Local 31.
"This is my third layoff from G.M., so I mean, it's having its ups and downs," she said.
Wilson said despite all the obstacles and hoops that come with layoffs, the tournament shows the union's resilience.
“We’re just kind of all getting together during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend ‘cause this is the time where we’re all off, right? So, those union-negotiated holidays," he said.
James said she's not too worried about the layoff.
"As long as we have a return date to come back to at the plant, I'm fine with that," she said.
Instead, she's thinking about her fellow co-workers.
"You got to think about people with families and stuff, you know, me, I’m single, so I’m by myself," she said. "As far as families, (they are) probably going to be struggling with money issues.”
James was a team leader at Fairfax.
"UAW brothers and sisters, we’re going to work together to make sure everybody is just fine," she said.
The temporary, phased layoffs started in November and are expected to end in 2026. It's estimated about 1,700 workers at the Fairfax plant will be impacted.
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
—
