In an unprecedented compromise, Volkswagen reached an agreement with its German labor union to cut as many as 35,000 jobs in Germany – though the automaker agreed not to order immediate layoffs or plant closures and dropped a demand for 10% wage cuts. The move avoided a mass walkout by members of the IG Metall union but is billed as a way to curb VW’s bloated labor costs, among the industry’s highest.
Workers at Volkswagen’s German operations walked off the job Monday. The 120,000 members of trade union IG Metall took to the streets to protest the automaker’s plans to pair back its home market operations, a move that could see it shutter as many as three assembly lines.
Pablo di Si unexpectedly stepped down as head of the Volkswagen Group of America and will be replaced by Rivian executive Kjell Gruner, the automaker announced Tuesday. The move comes at a critical time for VW which has been struggling to move its all-electric models in the U.S., even as it prepares to launch the all-new, all-electric Scout brand.
The 2024 election cost organized labor — especially the UAW — influence in Washington, D.C. It also handed an old foe, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, more sway over industry and labor in the new administration. Get the story at Headlight.News.
After scoring a major win in the election this week, President-elect Donald Trump is widely expected to move quickly on a broad agenda when taking office next January. He has made it clear this will include a number of issues critical to the auto industry, including tariffs and EVs. That presents some significant opportunities for manufacturers, but also poses quite a few risks, said a senior Toyota executive who spoke to Headlight.News shortly after Trump’s victory was confirmed.
Stellantis reported its net revenue dropped 27% compared to third-quarter results from a year ago. The company pointed to lower sales and an “unfavorable mix” and the primary reasons for the decline. Get details at Headlight.News.
United Auto Workers Union chief Shawn Fain has ripped Elon Musk’s efforts to buy elections and change the law for his personal benefit. The UAW has no choice but to participate in politics, Fain said, adding that the union campaign against Trump in swing states is...
In August, Stellantis warned it would lay off as many as 2,450 hourly workers. The first batch got their walking papers as 1,100 employees at its Warren Truck Plant, just north of Detroit. However, the cost cutting doesn’t stop there as the company revealed plans to shut down its Arizona Proving Grounds as well. Headlight.News has details.
Stellantis is again squaring off with the United Auto Workers in a critical battle over the company’s efforts to trim costs and cut production, charging in a lawsuit the UAW is violating its contract with the company by filing what its lawyers describe as sham grievances.
A strike by longshoreman called in dispute over wages and use of automation threatens to choke off shipments to ports on the East and Gulf coasts, threatening to delay deliveries of everything from groceries to autos and auto parts.
Stellantis Plans to lay off hundreds of full-time and seasonal employees starting October 1 as it enters “full execution mode” aimed at coping with slumping sales and earnings. But the cuts could lead to further friction even as members of the United Auto Workers Union vote on whether to authorize a strike at the Euro-American automaker.
Barely a year after wrapping up a “stand-up strike” against Detroit’s Big Three automakers the the United Auto Workers Union appears ready to launch another series of walkouts. First in line: a Ford unit producing critical tooling for parts plants and assembly lines could face a strike at midnight Wednesday after talks broke down. Stellantis could be next.