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☆ Shawn Fain, CNN Business’ labor leader of the year, plans to keep automakers sweating
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-27 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

New York CNN —The longest US auto strike this century is over after a pretty clear win for the United Auto Workers union at all three unionized automakers. “I don’t like what I’ve seen in my work career with the UAW leadership, where they were too damn close to the companies,” UAW President Shawn Fain told CNN earlier this month. So I like to let the body of work speak for itself.”The success of those contracts is the reason that Shawn Fain is CNN Business’ labor leader of the year. All told nearly 800,000 union members got raises of 10% or more during 2023. The plant will be be reopened under the agreement reached between Stellantis and the UAW to end the union's strike at the company.

Persons: Shawn Fain, there’s, Fain, “, ”, I’ve, Sean O’Brien, Fran Drescher, Ted Pappageorge, Bill Greenblatt, Wheaton, Jeff Schuster, It’s, Stellantis, Bianca Flowers, Reuters “, Ray Curry, GlobalData’s Schuster, ” Shawn Fain, we’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, UAW, CNN, CNN Business, UPS, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Culinary, Kaiser Permanente, General Motors, Ford, Motors Wentzville, GM, UPI, Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, GlobalData, Jeep, Reuters, Justice Department, Chrysler, Facebook, UAW International Union Locations: New York, Las Vegas, Stellantis, Wentzville , Missouri, Kokomo , Indiana

☆ Here's why the UAW's record deals with GM, Ford and Stellantis aren't getting full support
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Workers at Chrysler-owner Stellantis are still in early voting but have so far largely backed the contract. GM's Spring Hill Assembly plant in Tennessee on Monday became the most recent major facility to vote against the contract, with 67.5% of UAW members rejecting it. Reasons behind the disapproval vary, according to industry experts and UAW members who spoke with CNBC. GM has had 52% of workers voting so far in support of ratification. He said these benefits remain a target for future bargaining when the tentative deals, if ratified, expire on April 30, 2028.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, they've, Stellantis, They're, There's, Shawn Fain, Brian Keller, Ford, Fain, we'd, Keller, Ray Curry, Timothy Orner, it's, Orner, China Jones, Wheaton Organizations: UAW, Getty, DETROIT, United Auto Workers, Detroit, Ford Motor, Motors, Workers, Chrysler, Ford, CNBC, GM, U.S, Louisville Assembly Plant, Worker Institute, Cornell University Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Hill, Tennessee, GM's Flint , Michigan, Kentucky, Stellantis, Toledo, China, Louisville

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The prospect of an auto workers strike could test Joe Biden 's treasured assertion that he's the most pro-union president in U.S. history. Political Cartoons View All 1154 Images“I think the American public as a whole realizes the impact that the American auto workers have on the economy," Killian said. But, unlike with rail and airline workers, the president doesn’t have the authority to order autoworkers to stay on the job. Nowhere will the political fallout of an auto workers strike be felt more than Michigan, which Biden won by nearly 3 percentage points in 2020. And Ray Curry, the former UAW president who was unseated by Fain, had worked with Biden in the past, even attending White House ceremonies.

Persons: Joe Biden, Marick, Doc Killian, Killian, ” Biden, Biden, ”, Shawn Fain, “, Fain, Donald Trump, Trump, TRUMP, doesn't . Fain, Dave Green, ” Green, doesn’t, Mark Brewer, Brewer, Ray Curry, Gene Sperling, Biden's, he'll, what's, Randi Weingarten, Biden’s, Weingarten, ___ Weissert, Tom Krisher Organizations: United Auto Workers, General Motors, Ford, Wayne State University, CNN, UAW, Republican, UAW “, “ Union, Democratic, GOP, Michigan Democratic Party, U.S, White, longtime Democratic, Trump, American Federation of Teachers, Associated Press Locations: LANSING, Mich, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Detroit, Wayne , Michigan, America, China, Washington, United States, U.S, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

☆ How 500 votes made Shawn Fain one of America’s most important people
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Shawn Fain is one of the most important people in the US economy today. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, middle, walks in the Labor Day parade in Detroit, Monday. Fain finished second in the first vote, with 38%, but only 600 votes behind Curry, or less than 1%. This time Fain edged out Curry by less than 500 votes. “The fact that Shawn Fain was the first popularly elected president is significant,” said Patrick Anderson, CEO of Anderson Economic Group, a Michigan research firm.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Fain, ”, “, He’s, he’s, Ray Curry, Paul Sancya, Curry, Wheaton, ” Wheaton, it’s, Patrick Anderson, ” Fain, ’ Fain, Jim Cramer, CNN’s Jake Tapper, “ It’s, we’ve Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, General Motors, Ford, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Big, ”, UAW, Fiat Chrysler, Labor, Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Anderson Economic Group, Bloomberg Locations: New York, Detroit, Kokomo , Indiana, Indiana, Buffalo, Wheaton, Michigan

April 3 (Reuters) - Membership in the United Auto Workers union rose 3% in 2022 to 383,000 as it works to organize workers in battery plants and other electric vehicle components. Fain said last week the union was ready to go to war against "employers who refuse to give our members their fair share." Membership in the Detroit-based union rose from 372,000 in 2021 but is still down from 397,000 at the end of 2020. North American operations for the Detroit Three automakers are under pressure as they pour billions into electric vehicles and battery production. In 2019, UAW workers at GM went on strike for 40 days before a new contract was ratified, costing the automaker $3 billion.

"You're going to see a lot more aggressive UAW," Fain told reporters late Monday after a day-long meeting with local union officials. Those contracts could be models for the UAW's goals in talks with the Detroit automakers beginning this summer, analysts said. The Detroit automakers have reported robust profits during the past four years from their North American operations, mainly thanks to the pickup trucks and SUVs that UAW members assemble. Securing UAW jobs as the Detroit automakers shift toward electric vehicles is a "top priority," Fain said. The UAW and Detroit automakers will begin bargaining toward new contracts this summer.

☆ Challenger wins UAW labor union presidency, vows reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - Shawn Fain on Saturday won the race for United Auto Workers president, narrowly defeating incumbent head Ray Curry in a shakeup for the Detroit-based labor union. Labor contracts with Detroit's Big Three automakers expire in September and Fain has vowed to take a tough line with them. The UAW is working to organize new battery plants and members worry that shifting to electric vehicles will cost jobs. The UAW won a key victory in December, when workers at an Ohio General Motors-LG Energy (373220.KS) battery cell factory voted to join the union. The union has unsuccessfully sought to organize workers at foreign-based U.S. auto plants including Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and Nissan (7201.T).

☆ Challenger wins United Auto Workers presidency vowing reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - Shawn Fain narrowly won the race as United Auto Workers president, narrowly defeating the current union head Ray Curry in a shakeup for the Detroit-based union. Curry said in a statement Fain will be sworn in Sunday, a day ahead of the start of the union's bargaining convention. Fain has vowed to take a tough line in contract talks with the Detroit Three automakers. The UAW won a key victory in December, when workers at an Ohio General Motors (GM.N)-LG Energy (373220.KS) battery cell factory voted to join the union. Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Marguerita Choy and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Historic UAW election picks reform leader who vows more aggressive approach to auto negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The union's new leader will be Shawn Fain, a member of the "UAW Members United" reform group and local leader for a Stellantis parts plant in Indiana. Fain, in a statement Saturday, thanked UAW members who voted in the election. He also hailed the election results as a historic change in direction for the embattled union, which he says will take a "more aggressive approach" with its employers. It has been the honor of my life to serve our great union," Curry said. The election results had been delayed several weeks due to a run-off election as well as the close final count.

☆ UAW presidential challenger claims lead as rival campaign files protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - Union challenger Shawn Fain is narrowly leading United Auto Workers (UAW) President Ray Curry in a runoff election as Curry's campaign said it had filed a protest. Earlier this month, a court-appointed monitor said Fain received 69,118 votes and Curry has 68,473 votes – a difference of 645 votes - but with 1,608 unresolved challenged ballots. The UAW is working to organize new battery plants and members worry that shifting to electric vehicles will cost jobs. Curry has been president of the UAW since June 2021, and a UAW member since 1992. The UAW won a victory in December, when workers at an Ohio General Motors (GM.N)-LG Energy (373220.KS) battery cell factory voted to join the union.

☆ UAW presidential challenger holds lead as rival campaign files protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - Challenger Shawn Fain is narrowly leading United Auto Workers (UAW) President Ray Curry in a runoff election for leadership of the powerful union, as Curry's campaign said it had filed a protest over issues including undelivered ballots. A group backing Fain said that lead means his victory is "all but assured." The UAW is working to organize new battery plants and members worry that shifting to electric vehicles will cost jobs. Curry has been president of the UAW since June 2021, and a UAW member since 1992. The UAW won a victory in December, when workers at an Ohio General Motors (GM.N)-LG Energy (373220.KS) battery cell factory voted to join the union.

☆ UAW union president optimistic on quick contract with GM-LG battery venture
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers (UAW) President Ray Curry said Monday he is optimistic the union can quickly reach a contract deal with a General Motors (GM.N), LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) battery cell joint venture factory. The Detroit Three automakers all have battery plants in the works with South Korean partners and Ultium is building two other U.S. battery plants in Tennessee and Michigan. He said it would be "premature" to say how a deal with the union would affect labor costs or business structure. Ultium is building a $2.6 billion plant in Michigan, set to open in 2024. This month, Ultium said it would boost its planned investment in a $2.3 billion Tennessee plant by $275 million.

☆ U.S. finalizes $2.5 billion loan to GM, LG battery joint venture
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters first reported in July the planned loan to Ultium Cells LLC from the government's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program. Last week, workers at the $2.3 billion Ultium plant in Ohio voted to join the UAW, a win for the union, which is seeking to organize the growing EV supply chain. GM and LG Energy are considering an Indiana site for a fourth U.S. battery plant. The Energy Department said the $3 billion would provide an estimated $40 billion in additional loan authority for a total estimated available authority under ATVM of about $55.1 billion before the Ultium loan. The ATVM loan program in July closed on a $102.1 million loan to Syrah Technologies LLC (SYR.AX) for expansion of a facility producing a key component for batteries.

☆ Stellantis to idle Illinois plant, lay off more than 1,000 workers, citing rising costs for EVs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Stellantis is shuttering its Illinois plant in February resulting in indefinite layoffs for 1,350 employees, the company said in a statement, citing increasing costs in the electric vehicle market. The European carmaker said it will “idle” the assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois on February 23 and said the layoffs are expected to exceed six months. The group’s president Ray Curry said it is “unacceptable” Stellantis isn’t allocating new products to the plant. In October, the company said its joint venture producing Jeep vehicles in China is filing for bankruptcy. Last July, Stellantis made a $35.5 billion commitment to electric vehicles by the end of 2025 to expand its portfolio.

☆ Stellantis to indefinitely idle Jeep plant, lay off workers to cut costs for EVs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

DETROIT – Stellantis said Friday that it plans to indefinitely idle a Jeep plant in Illinois, starting early next year, to cut costs as it invests in electric vehicles. The transatlantic automaker, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler, said the plant will cease production as of Feb. 28. The more than 1,200 workers at the facility, which produces Jeep Cherokee SUVs, will be placed on indefinite layoffs, the company said. In late-2018, ahead of the 2019 UAW negotiations with the Detroit automakers, General Motors announced plans to potentially close several facilities. Only one of the major assembly plants – Lordstown Assembly in Ohio – for the automaker actually ended up closing following the negotiations.

☆ GM battery plant workers vote to unionize with UAW, a key win for labor as industry shifts to EVs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

DETROIT — Workers at a General Motors joint venture battery plant in northeast Ohio overwhelmingly voted in favor of representation with the United Auto Workers, the union said early Friday. The count was 710 votes in support of UAW representation; 16 against; and one was void. "Our entire union welcomes our latest members from Ultium," UAW President Ray Curry said in a release. "As the auto industry transitions to electric vehicles, new workers entering the auto sector at plants like Ultium are thinking about their value and worth. Ultium, in a statement Friday, said it respects "the decision of our Ohio workforce supporting representation by the UAW.

☆ Ohio workers vote to unionize GM, LG battery plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Detroit Three automakers all have battery plants in the works with South Korean partners. The UAW petitioned in October to represent about 900 workers at the Ohio plant after a majority of employees signed cards authorizing the union to represent them. Production began in August at the Ohio plant, the first of at least four planned Ultium U.S. battery factories. GM and LG Energy are considering an Indiana site for a fourth U.S. battery plant. Last week, GM Chief Executive Mary Barra expressed support for unionizing the Ohio plant.

☆ UAW wins key vote to represent Ohio EV battery factory
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Workers at the Ultium Cells plant, co-owned by General Motors and Korean giant LG, voted overwhelmingly this week to join the United Auto Workers union. Like Ultium most of those battery plants are joint ventures with battery makers rather than wholly owned by the automakers themselves. That means the workers at those new plants will not be part of the UAW unless they vote to join. So it’s crucial for the UAW to be able to organize these slew of joint venture battery plants popping up nationwide. While GM (GM) is not the sole owner of the plant, its executives welcomed the union in hopes it helps to maintain labor peace with contract talks looming next fall.

☆ UAW calls on automakers to move supply chain out of Xinjiang region
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Police officers patrol in the old city in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, May 4, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas PeterWASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers (UAW) union called on automakers to shift their entire supply chain out of China's Xinjiang region after a new report on Tuesday suggests that nearly every major automaker has significant exposure to products made with forced labor. "The time is now for the auto industry to establish high-road supply chain models outside the Uyghur Region that protect labor and human rights and the environment," said UAW President Ray Curry. "In some cases, Uyghur forced labor is apparent at multiple steps" of parts manufacturing, mining, refining, pre-fabrication and assembly, it added. Curry called on the U.S. government to "devote the necessary resources to allow Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to effectively identify and ban the importation of products made with forced labor."

☆ UAW president faces run-off election as reformers make gains
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - United Auto Workers (UAW) President Ray Curry will face a run-off election against reform presidential candidate Shawn Fain, a court-appointed monitor said on Monday, after none of the five candidates captured a majority. The run-off election, which will also determine a vice president and regional director race, could see reformers claim a majority of seats on the 14-member UAW executive board. UAW officers previously were elected through a delegate system. For more than three decades, all UAW officers have come from an administrative slate of candidates. Curry has been president of the UAW since June 2021, and a UAW member since 1992.

☆ Ford must bring more work in-house to preserve jobs - CEO
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Joseph White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ford CEO Jim Farley attends the official launch of the all-new Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. April 26, 2022. Electric vehicles will require 40% less labor to build than current combustion vehicles, Farley told a conference in Detroit sponsored by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, a civil rights group. Bringing production of electric vehicle motors, batteries and other components in-house was necessary to preserve jobs and to be competitive, Farley said. 1 U.S. electric vehicle maker, builds much of the hardware for its electric vehicles, including batteries. Ford has begun building an electric vehicle manufacturing complex in Western Tennessee called Blue Oval City.

☆ UAW seeks election to represent GM battery joint venture workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstOct 31 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers on Monday said it was seeking an election to represent workers at a General Motors (GM.N)/LG Energy (373220.KS) battery cell manufacturing joint venture in Ohio after the companies refused to recognize the union. In August, the Warren, Ohio Ultium plant began production, the first of least four planned U.S. battery factories by the joint venture. In May, President Joe Biden, in a trip to South Korea, expressed support for workers seeking to unionize joint venture battery plants. "For every joint venture that manufactures electric vehicle batteries would be made stronger by collective bargaining relationships with American unions," Biden said. GM and LG Energy are considering an Indiana site for a fourth U.S. battery plant expected to cost about $2.5 billion.

☆ An Alabama factory that makes parts for Kia and Hyundai employed children as young as 13, a Labor Department investigation found
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An auto parts manufacturer in Alabama has been ordered to stop hiring underage workers. SL Alabama also paid a $30,076 civil money penalty to address the violations. SL Alabama, which has around 650 workers in the Alexander City area, manufactures headlights, rear combination lights, and side mirrors for automakers including Korean sister companies Hyundai and Kia. The FLSA also makes it illegal for employers to ship products from worksites where child-labor laws have been violated. JK USA, Hyundai, and Kia, as well as an attorney for SL Alabama, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular working hours.

read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterLast month, the first General Motors and LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) joint venture Ultium battery plant began production in Lordstown, Ohio. GM previously expressed support for efforts by the UAW to organize Ultium's battery plants, but did not endorse "card check. In May, President Joe Biden, in a trip to South Korea, expressed support for workers seeking to unionize joint venture battery plants. Detroit's Big Three automakers all have battery plants in the works with Korean partners. Last month, GM and LG Energy said they were considering a site in New Carlisle, Indiana, for a fourth U.S. battery plant.

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