The UAW continues its aggressive plan to expand its ranks by converting existing non-union plants or, in this case, getting new plants to align with the union right away. The organization filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election at Ford Motor Co.’s JV battery plant in Kentucky. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Oh, what a year it was. 2024 took saw a number of predictable stories top our coverage on Headlight.News, but the year also saw some surprising twists and turns — like the planned merger between Honda and Nissan – that no one likely would, or could, have predicted 12 months ago. There was some good news for consumers, and some bad. Some automakers made out like bandits, while others are now struggling with an uncertain future. Here are the 2024 stories that our editorial team found most compelling.
He may have had just one term in the White House but it came at a critical time for the nation, as a whole, and for the auto industry, in particular. Former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 100 oversaw changes to automotive safety and emissions regulations. He was also in the Oval Office at a time of a major oil embargo, an assault by automotive imports and a time of reckoning for Detroit’s automakers – including the near collapse of Chrysler Corp.
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.