Michigan, California move to reopen factories as U.S. jobless ranks grow

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he departs on travel to Phoenix, Arizona from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 5, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

DETROIT/SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Michigan and California, two U.S. manufacturing powerhouses, acted on Thursday to allow factories to reopen from coronavirus lockdowns over the next few days, as millions more Americans joined the ranks of workers left jobless by the pandemic.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan gave the go-ahead to manufacturers in her state to restart on May 11, removing a major obstacle to North American automakers seeking to bring thousands of idled employees back to work this month.