Union locals: UAW Local 31 (GM Fairfax Assembly — Massachusetts, Massachusetts)

How UAW Auto Workers Were Exposed to Asbestos

During normal duties, UAW Auto Workers were routinely exposed to asbestos-containing materials in Massachusetts industrial, commercial, and public construction work from the 1930s through the 1980s. Documented exposure pathways drawn from public litigation records and industrial hygiene literature include:

  • Grinding and arc-grinding asbestos brake linings on the Fairfax assembly line
  • Handling asbestos clutch facings and friction products during build
  • Working with asbestos-containing gaskets at engine and final assembly stations
  • Bystander exposure to insulation work on plant utility piping
  • Cleanup duties with airborne fiber in stamping and paint shops

Why This Matters for Massachusetts Workers

If you worked as a uaw auto workers in Massachusetts during the asbestos era and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or pleural disease, you may have a legal claim — even if your employer is no longer in business. Many asbestos product manufacturers have established bankruptcy trust funds that continue to pay qualified claimants based on documented exposure history.

Massachusetts Filing Deadlines — Two Separate Clocks

Massachusetts sets separate deadlines for a personal-injury claim and for a wrongful-death claim, and they run on independent tracks — preserving one does not extend the other. Massachusetts wrongful-death claims are governed by G.L. c. 229 § 2, which runs three years from the date of death or from the date the personal representative discovered the death was caused by the defendant’s conduct. Deadlines turn on facts specific to your case; confirm yours with an attorney rather than relying on a general figure.

Talk to an Experienced Massachusetts Asbestos Attorney

A free, confidential consultation with O’Brien Law Firm can evaluate your specific exposure history and filing-deadline situation. No fee unless they pursue a legal claim.

☎ (314) 237-3332

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