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Labor painsAfter a “summer of strikes” last year that stretched from Detroit to Hollywood, unions are on a roll, flexing their growing might. Friday will bring a new test of that power as workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee vote on whether to join the United Automobile Workers. Victory there would mark perhaps the first time a foreign carmaker’s U.S. plant became unionized and form a beachhead for organized labor in the anti-union South. But it could also resonate well beyond the car industry as President Biden cultivates labor in battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. A yes vote would be a big win for the U.A.W.

Persons: ”, Biden, Shawn Fain, they’ve Organizations: Volkswagen, United Automobile Workers, Big, Detroit carmakers, Toyota, Tesla, Automotive News Locations: Detroit, Hollywood, Tennessee, U.S, Michigan, Pennsylvania

☆ Mercedes-Benz Workers in Alabama Ask for Unionization Vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Jack Ewing | More About Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Workers at a Mercedes-Benz factory in Alabama have petitioned federal officials to hold a vote on whether to join the United Automobile Workers, the union said on Friday, a step forward for its drive to organize workers at car factories in the South. is also trying to organize workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee and a Hyundai factory in Alabama, establishing a bigger presence in states that have drawn much of the new investment in automobile manufacturing in recent decades. A vote at the Volkswagen plant is scheduled for April 17 to 19. The drive has taken on added importance as Southern states like South Carolina and Georgia attract billions of dollars in investment in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing. is trying to ensure that jobs created by electric vehicles do not pay less than jobs at traditional auto factories.

Organizations: Benz, United Automobile Workers, Ford Motor, General Motors, Detroit, Volkswagen, Hyundai Locations: Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia

The 118-day work stoppage will end officially just after midnight, the SAG-AFTRA union said in a statement after its negotiating committee voted unanimously to support the deal. "We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers," the union said. George Clooney and other A-list stars voiced solidarity with lower-level actors and had urged union leadership to reach a resolution. While WGA members returned to writing scripts in late September, the ongoing SAG-AFTRA work stoppage left many productions dark. It also led movie studios to delay big releases such as "Dune: Part 2" because striking actors could not promote them.

Persons: Jim Kulick, Mario Anzuoni, Fran Drescher, Walt Disney, I'm, Fanny Grande, It's, Jessica Payne, Rati Gupta, Anu, George Clooney, Lisa Richwine, Stephen Coates Organizations: SAG, Paramount Studios, REUTERS, Alliance, Television Producers, Walt, Netflix, Hollywood, CBS, Writers Guild of America, WGA, Milken, United Auto Workers, Detroit carmakers, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, New York, Los Angeles, Los Angeles and New York, California

☆ Stock market weakness could continue in week ahead as looming government shutdown adds to fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Headwinds are piling up for the market heading into the final week of the month, as September lives up to its reputation as a horrible month for Wall Street. Wolfe Research's Rob Ginsberg pointed out in a note this week that the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) doesn't suggest much fear in markets. "We have a potential shutdown in Washington, as well as the UAW strike, which could potentially create some volatility in jobs data in particular." But investors heading into the final trading week of September will likely see a continuation of those losses, if history is any indication. "We could see the market experience additional weakness over the next several weeks," said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA.

Persons: Wolfe, Rob Ginsberg, VIX, Amy Wu Silverman, Aditya Bhave, Shannon Saccocia, Saccocia, there's, RBC's Wu Silverman, what's, Goldman Sachs, Scott Rubner, Sam Stovall, Michael Bloom, Jeff Cox Organizations: Wall, Dow Jones, Reserve, Bank of America U.S, UAW, CFRA, Costco Wholesale, Nike, Chicago, Dallas Fed, New, Richmond Fed, Costco, Micron, . Kansas City Fed Manufacturing, BEA, Auto, PCE Deflator, Chicago PMI Locations: Washington, Detroit, . Kansas, Chicago, Michigan

☆ Pence echoes Trump, links UAW strikes to Biden EV push: 'Good for Beijing, bad for Detroit'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former Vice President Mike Pence argued Tuesday that the Biden administration's push toward electric vehicles was to blame for the historic United Auto Workers strikes underway at the Big Three Detroit carmakers' plants. "I guarantee you that one of the things that's driving that strike is that Bidenomics and their green energy, electric vehicle agenda is good for Beijing and bad for Detroit, and American autoworkers know it," Pence said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." The strikes are a "reflection of the failed economic policies of the Biden administration," said Pence, whose campaign to win the 2024 Republican presidential has struggled to gain traction in the polls. "This drive toward electric vehicles, driving people away from gasoline-powered vehicles, any auto worker that's paying attention would know that's not in their long-term interest," he said. Pence's stance on the strikes echoed the one pushed by his former boss, ex-President Donald Trump, the current front-runner in the GOP nomination contest.

Persons: Mike Pence, Biden, Pence, that's, Donald Trump Organizations: United Auto Workers, Big, Detroit, Republican, GOP Locations: Beijing, Detroit

☆ Bernie Sanders’s push for four-day weeks has merit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to the crowd as United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English listen during a rally in support of striking UAW members in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., September 15, 2023. The United Auto Workers on Friday began strikes at Detroit carmakers Ford Motor (F.N), General Motors (GM.N) and Stellantis (STLAM.MI). Sanders voiced enthusiasm for their biggest demand: moving to a four-day workweek while maintaining five-day pay. UAW members pushed for this policy in the middle of the last century during a prior wave of automation. With artificial intelligence poised to reshape white-collar jobs, more workers might come to see things Sanders’s way.

Persons: Bernie Sanders, Shawn Fain, Rebecca Cook, Sanders, Jim Farley, Jonathan Guilford, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, REUTERS, Reuters, Friday, Detroit, Ford, General Motors, X, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S

☆ Trump plans to give speech to autoworkers in Detroit, skipping second GOP debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former US President and 2024 Presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks at the CWA (Concerned Women for America) Summit 2023 in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2023. Former President Donald Trump is planning to visit Detroit next week to speak with current and former union members instead of attending the Republican primary debate, his campaign told CNBC on Monday. A campaign spokesman confirmed reporting in The New York Times that Trump, the clear front-runner in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, intends to counterprogram the second primary debate as his rivals compete to catch up to him. Fain has previously said that a second Trump term in the White House would be a "disaster." He skipped the first primary debate last month, opting instead to sit for a pre-taped interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that aired as the debate kicked off.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Detroit carmakers, Shawn Fain, Fain, Trump's, Tucker Carlson, shrugging, Joe Biden Organizations: CWA, America, Detroit, CNBC, The New York Times, United Auto Workers, UAW, Trump, Reagan, Fox News, GOP Locations: Washington ,, California

☆ Battle Over Electric Vehicles Is Central to Auto Strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Jack Ewing | More About Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A battle between Detroit carmakers and the United Auto Workers union, which escalated on Friday with targeted strikes in three locations, is unfolding amid a once-in-a-century technological upheaval that poses huge risks for both the companies and the union. The strike has come as the traditional automakers invest billions to develop electric vehicles while still making most of their money from gasoline-driven cars. The negotiations will determine the balance of power between workers and management, possibly for years to come. That makes the strike as much a struggle for the industry’s future as it is about wages, benefits and working conditions. Pay is one of the biggest sticking points: The union is demanding a 40 percent pay increase over four years but the automakers have offered roughly half as much.

Persons: Ram —, Henry Ford’s Organizations: Detroit carmakers, United Auto Workers union, Motors, Ford Motor, Chrysler, Jeep Locations: Ohio , Michigan, Missouri

☆ U.A.W. Strike Hits 3 Plants as It Seeks Big Raises and Other Gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Jack Ewing | More About Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Autoworkers walked off the job on Friday at three factories that produce of some of the Detroit carmakers’ most popular vehicles, the opening salvos in what could become a protracted strike that hurts the U.S. economy and has an impact on the 2024 presidential election. Nearly 13,000 members of the United Auto Workers at plants in Ohio, Michigan and Missouri joined early Friday in what the union described as a targeted strike that could expand to more plants if its demands for pay raises of up to 40 percent and other gains were not met. The union’s four-year contracts with three automakers — General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis, which owns Chrysler, Jeep and Ram — expired Thursday, and the companies and the union remained far from striking new deals. The U.A.W.’s president, Shawn Fain, used sweeping language on Thursday to describe why his members were going on strike against all three automakers at the same time — something the union had never done in its nearly 90-year history.

Persons: Autoworkers, Ram —, ’, Shawn Fain Organizations: Detroit, United Auto Workers, —, Motors, Ford Motor, Chrysler, Jeep Locations: U.S, Ohio , Michigan, Missouri

And now, Shawn Fain is representing nearly 150,000 auto workers in one of the biggest labor strikes in decades. Referring to Biblical scripture, Fain asked union members: "Are you willing to have faith and move that mountain? The Wednesday before contract expiration, he said UAW members must fight for a better contract "by any means necessary" - one of Malcolm X's most quoted phrases. That six-week strike cost GM $3.6 billion and stressed the finances of UAW members. Company executives have said the UAW's demands will make them uncompetitive as the shift to EVs offsets the profits delivered by the combustion trucks UAW members build.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Rebecca Cook, Malcolm X, Detroit carmakers, Fain, handshakes, Bernie Sanders, they’ve, “, ”, Darwin Segers, Mack, Malcolm X's, Garrett Nelson, Jim Farley, Joe White, Ben Klayman, Eric Cox, Bianca Flowers, David Shepardson, Matthew Lewis, Diane Craft Organizations: United Auto Workers, Ford Motor Michigan, REUTERS, Detroit, Ford Motor, General Motors, Detroit Three, Wall, UAW, GM, CFRA, Teamsters, United Parcel Service, UPS, Hollywood, Company, Ford, CNBC, Thomson Locations: Wayne , Michigan, U.S, Detroit, Hollywood, Chicago, Washington

☆ Ford, partners pick Canada for $900 mln battery materials plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Ford logo is seen on the grill of an E-transit concept vehicle at the Ford Halewood transmissions plant in Liverpool, Britain, December 1, 2022. The consortium includes South Korean partners EcoProBM (247540.KQ) and SK On Co Ltd, according a statement from the ministry. The factory will eventually produce 45,000 tonnes of cathode active materials (CAM) per year for Ford EVs. Ford in a separate statement described the materials as high-quality Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM) for rechargeable batteries that are targeting greater performance and improved EV range. Germany's BASF SE (BASFn.DE) is also building a battery materials factory there.

Persons: Phil Noble, EcoProBM, Ford, Lisa Drake, EVs, Francois, Philippe Champagne, Steve Scherer, Jane Merriman, Mark Porter Organizations: Ford, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Ford Motor, South, SK, Co, Ford EVs, Reuters, General Motors Co, BASF, Volkswagen, Fiat, Chrysler, Detroit, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, Becancour, Quebec, North America, Ontario, St, Lawrence, Canada

☆ Aptiv expects semiconductor prices to remain high
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 9 (Reuters) - Aptiv PLC (APTV.N) does not expect semiconductor prices to cool off in the near future, the auto parts supplier said on Wednesday. Even though supply-chain challenges are easing, prices of certain parts remain high, denting profits. The company said the "real challenge" is in obtaining chips, whose prices have risen 25% to 30%, while supply chains remain tight. The Dublin-based company said demand for new vehicles remains strong in North America and Europe, but flagged concerns around underlying GDP growth in China. Reporting by Pratyush Thakur in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Pooja DesaiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kevin Clark, Pratyush Thakur, Shailesh Kuber, Pooja Desai Organizations: Aptiv, Ford, Detroit, JPMorgan, United Auto Workers, UAW, Ford Motor, General Motors, Thomson Locations: Dublin, North America, Europe, China, Bengaluru

☆ America isn’t quitting gas guzzlers yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ford missed its profit guidance by $1.1 billion, it said on Thursday night. It was bad enough that boss Jim Farley admitted to leaving “$2 billion in profits on the table” by mismanaging costs and supply. With EV sales under 4% of U.S. volume for both companies, the jump in profit from pricing is coming from combustion-engine sales. Detroit-based peer Ford Motor reported revenue of $44 billion for its fourth quarter on Feb. 2, 9% higher than analyst estimates. However, it recorded $10.4 billion of adjusted operating profit for the full year, below guidance of $11.5 billion.

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