General Motors has sparked outrage after sidelining more than 1,000 workers at its flagship Detroit assembly plant on Friday and announcing they'd be installing 50 new robots.

The so-called 'cobots' were installed on the assembly line at GM's Factory Zero in Michigan as the automaker slashes costs amid weakening demand for its electric vehicles, according to reports.

The robots now work alongside the remaining employees, helping attach vehicle body panels as cars move down the production line, AutoBlog reported.

The move has drawn fierce criticism from United Auto Workers Local 22 President James Cotton, who rejected GM's assertion that the cobots are not replacing human workers.

GM has maintained that the robots are necessary to keep the Detroit-Hamtramck electric truck plant competitive while improving worker safety and ergonomics, a company spokesperson told the Daily Mail. 

'At Factory ZERO, we are implementing them alongside our team - helping improve safety and ergonomahahics while keeping our operations flexible and competitive,' the spokesperson said, adding that the affected workers have been placed on temporary layoff rather than permanently terminated.

But Cotto's statement to Crain's Detroit Business appears to dispute that characterization, arguing the machines have come at the expense of union jobs.

'Our manpower is being taken away from us,' Cotton told Crain's. 'From top to bottom, we're disgusted that they have cobots in our plants.' 

The number of labor hours required to build a car has fallen by 50 percent to 70 percent since the 1980s, Crain's reported.

But that efficiency shift has not translated into lower wages for workers; UAW pay rose significantly in its 2023 contract win, with the union expected to push for stronger protections ahead of its 2028 negotiations.

Cotton also raised safety concerns about robots operating in close proximity to human workers, disputing GM's claims that the technology improves conditions on the line. 

He said the union has since filed grievances against the company over the deployment of cobots.

The cobots arrive as GM scales back its once-aggressive electric vehicle push, which has been pressured by slowing demand and high production costs.