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#1 · (Edited)
FCA US Belvidere Assembly Joins the Ranks of Bronze Plants in World Class Manufacturing

Recognition comes on heels of announcement that plant will build Jeep® Cherokee

Company’s Illinois assembly plant becomes 15th FCA North American facility to achieve milestone award

Award recognizes progress toward becoming World Class


July 14, 2016 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -

The FCA US Belvidere Assembly Plant (Ill.) received two pieces of good news today – the first confirming that it would build the Jeep® Cherokee when it moves from its current home in Toledo, Ohio, in 2017, and the second announcing that it has been awarded bronze status for its efforts to improve in World Class Manufacturing (WCM).

As the 15th North American plant to receive a bronze designation, Belvidere Assembly earned a minimum of 50 points in 10 technical and 10 managerial pillars following a two-day audit on July 13-14, during which the plant demonstrated clear WCM know-how and competence through employee-conducted pillar presentations and a review of projects that have been implemented across the shop floor.

As the plant was finishing its audit today, the Company announced that it would invest $350 million in the Illinois facility to retool it to produce the Jeep Cherokee. Nearly 300 new jobs will be created. Production of the Dodge Dart and the Jeep Compass/Jeep Patriot will end in September 2016 and December 2016, respectively.


“Today is an exciting and important day for the Belvidere plant as these announcements solidify the plant’s future as an integral part of our industrial footprint,” said Brian Harlow, Vice President – Manufacturing, FCA North America. “Not only did the employees demonstrate their commitment to implementing WCM and were recognized with the bronze designation, but the pride and integrity with which they build our vehicles has secured their plant’s position as the next production home of the Jeep Cherokee. We applaud the Belvidere workforce for both of these accomplishments and look forward to the next chapter in the plant’s history.”

The achievement of WCM award levels, as confirmed through independent audits, recognizes the long-term commitment of the workforce to making significant changes that can secure the future of a facility. Awarded plants also have a role in accelerating the implementation of WCM throughout the organization as coaches and mentors.

“Our UAW partners have embraced the WCM methodology, understanding that its implementation is essential to our long-term success,” said Harlow. “The active participation of our hourly employees, through their ideas and input, is critical to making FCA US manufacturing facilities among the best in the world.”

World Class Manufacturing is a methodology that focuses on eliminating waste, increasing productivity and improving quality and safety in a systematic and organized way. WCM engages the workforce to provide and implement suggestions on how to improve their jobs and their plants, promoting a sense of ownership.

WCM was first implemented by Fiat in 2006 and introduced to Chrysler Group as part of the alliance between the two companies in June 2009.

During an audit, zero to five points are awarded for each of the 10 technical pillars, which include safety, workplace organization, logistics and the environment, and for each of the 10 managerial pillars, such as management commitment, clarity of objectives, allocation of people, motivation of operators and commitment of the organization. A score of 85 would indicate World Class.

Of the 15 plants that have achieved bronze, three have gone on to be awarded silver - Windsor Assembly Plant (Ont.) in March 2015, Dundee Engine Plant (Mich.) in May 2015 and Toledo Assembly Complex in May 2016. The 11 facilities that currently hold the WCM bronze designation are:

Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant (Mexico)
Saltillo South Engine Plant (Mexico)
Trenton Engine Complex (Michigan)
Warren Stamping Plant (Michigan)
Indiana Transmission Plant II (Kokomo, Indiana)
Kokomo Transmission Plant (Indiana)
Kokomo Casting Plant (Indiana)
Toluca Assembly Plant (Mexico)
Sterling Stamping Plant (Sterling Heights, Michigan)
Brampton Assembly Plant (Ontario, Canada)
Tipton Transmission Plant (Indiana)


About the Belvidere Assembly Plant
Construction of the Belvidere Assembly Plant began in 1964 and the first car rolled off the line on July 7, 1965. Over the years, the plant has produced a variety of models from the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Plymouth brands. Following the alliance between Fiat and Chrysler Group in 2009, the Company invested $700 million in the plant to construct an all-new body shop to produce the Dodge Dart, a vehicle that showcased the combined engineering and technologies of the two companies. In addition to the Dart, the plant also currently produces the Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot. More than 342,500 vehicles were built in 2015. The plant employs nearly 4,300 people working a 3-2-120 operating pattern – three crews working four 10-hour days on two shifts for 120 production hours per week.

Belvidere was awarded a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Green Building System certification for meeting the highest environmental standards in April 2015. LEED, administered by the United States Green Building Council, is a comprehensive system to define, measure and validate green buildings. Certification in the national recognition program is based on strict standards in five key areas: site planning, water management, energy, material use and indoor environmental quality.
 
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#153 ·
Thieves Hit Ram Truck Factory, Again

Steven Symes
Thu, January 26, 2023


Why does this keep happening?

Stellantis should look at beefing up security for the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, especially after thieves hit the place again, this time in the early morning hours on January 17. At least this time the 9 suspects didn’t get away with any vehicles. But if past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior, we don’t need to wait long for another heist to be pulled off.

According to Sterling Heights Police, one of the stolen Ram trucks hit a police car during the failed theft. The suspects used two others to ram (pun fully intended) the entry and exit gates, however that didn’t work.


An image of one of the trucks used to ram through one of the gates was posted to Facebook by Macomb County Scanner. It looks like the maneuver triggered a pop-up barrier which stopped the Ram dead in its tracks, so perhaps Stellantis has upgraded security since the last heist.
After the unsuccessful heist, 9 suspects were arrested, say police. Detectives are now looking to see if the group might have committed other thefts, something which is probably pretty likely. We know at the very least the person or people who trained and send these thieves are responsible for quite a few stolen cars in the area. Most of these car theft rings also like to recruit children, which is probably why we’re not getting details about the suspects.

Back on January 14, a Livingston County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over a Ram truck which had been stolen from the Sterling Heights storage lot. However, Ram trucks aren’t the only vehicles thieves are targeting in factory storage lots. Flat Rock Assembly is another popular target, with thieves swiping Shelby GT500s multiple times, leading police on high-speed chases. The same thing has happened with Camaros stolen from Lansing Grand River Assembly.


Source: Detroit Free Press, Macomb County Scanner
 
#154 ·
Stellantis workers to receive up to $14,760 in profit sharing

Stellantis UAW-Represented Employees to Receive 2022 Profit Sharing Payments

February 22, 2023 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - As a result of the company’s financial performance in 2022, Stellantis announced today that the eligible profit sharing amount of $14,760 will be paid to UAW-represented employees on March 10, 2023. Actual payments will be based on individual compensated hours. Approximately 40,500 employees are eligible to receive the payment.

“The significant contributions of our UAW-represented workforce enabled us to announce strong 2022 second half and full year financials today,” said Mark Stewart, Stellantis North America COO. “These results reflect the discipline and determination with which they have approached the new vision for our company. I am proud of what this team was able to achieve last year in spite of the challenges we continued to face.”

With this payment, U.S. hourly employees have received on average more than $74,220 in profit sharing since 2009 and $37,440 under the terms of the current labor agreement.

The 2022 profit sharing payment was calculated on the terms negotiated as part of the 2019 UAW-FCA Collective Bargaining Agreement, based on the year-end Adjusted EBIT margin of the North American region reported in the Stellantis N.V. year-end financial results.

Stellantis North America
Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world’s leading automakers and a mobility provider. In North America, it's best known for producing and selling vehicles in a portfolio of iconic and award-winning brands such as Jeep®, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Powered by its diversity, Stellantis leads the way the region and the world move – aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.
 
#155 ·
Illinois Jeep plant idling Tuesday will cost 1,200 jobs. Some an auto town will become a ghost town

Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune
Fri, February 24, 2023

BELVIDERE, Illinois — When the whistle blows at the Belvidere Assembly Plant on Tuesday, it may signal the end of an era.
For nearly six decades, the massive auto plant has been the economic engine of the small river city near Rockford, churning out everything from the Plymouth Fury and the Chrysler New Yorker to the Dodge Dart.
But after several years of downsizing and dwindling demand for its current product, the Jeep Cherokee, Stellantis is idling the plant “indefinitely,” laying off the last 1,200 workers and perhaps closing it for good.
“Everyone’s on edge,” said Kevin Logan, president of UAW Local 1268, which represents the remaining plant workers about to be laid off. “It’s going to be catastrophic for this community.”
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The Belvidere plant became the exclusive home for the Jeep Cherokee in 2017. The region’s largest employer at its zenith, the plant had 5,464 workers on three shifts at the start of 2019, after building 270,000 of the SUVs during the previous year. But the plant has been in dramatic decline since then, slashing jobs and eliminating shifts as demand for its sole product waned.
Last year, Jeep Cherokee sales fell 55% to 40,322 vehicles, according to Stellantis.
Stellantis was created by the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot of France in January 2021. Like many automakers, Stellantis is gearing up to convert from combustion engines to electric vehicles. It is aiming to have EVs account for 50% of all U.S. sales by 2030.
Sources said Belvidere was lined up to transition to an electric vehicle plant, specifically the new STLA large EV platform for the next generation Charger and Challenger. Instead, Stellantis announced in June the vehicles will be built in Windsor, Ontario, dashing the hopes of Belvidere boosters and dealing a major blow to the state’s EV manufacturing ambitions.
Stellantis is also building a $5 billion battery plant in Windsor.
“It was a big slap in the face,” said Logan, a lifelong Belvidere resident and 29-year plant veteran. “They were dangling the carrot in front of us and pulled it away. I rack my brain several times every day, driving myself crazy trying to figure out what is the fate of this facility, why is the company doing this and what is their endgame.”
In December, Stellantis announced the indefinite layoffs and the plant idling. The final shift is scheduled to punch out Feb. 28, the 5-million-square-foot auto plant will go dark and Belvidere will face an uncertain future.
For Belvidere, a city of 25,000 rising up from farm fields about 75 miles northwest of Chicago, the fear is palpable.
“Everyone’s talking, ‘is it going to be a ghost town in Belvidere?’ ” said Patty Ibraimi, owner of Uncle John’s Family Restaurant, a longtime local gathering spot. “It’s definitely going to be an issue if they don’t reopen.”
Most of the workers at the Belvidere plant are hourly employees who could be eligible for a combination of state unemployment and supplemental unemployment benefits. There will be no severance package, but Stellantis will “make every effort to place indefinitely laid off employees in open full-time positions as they become available,” Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said in an email.
That could mean uprooting for plants in Ohio, Michigan or points more distant. Workers who decline the transfer offer lose all their unemployment benefits, retaining only their seniority if Belvidere reopens under Stellantis, Logan said.
Those terms were part of a four-year UAW contract set to expire in September. Stellantis can’t permanently close the Belvidere plant until then, potentially leaving the laid-off workforce in limbo until the automaker decides its fate.
Stellantis could use Belvidere as a bargaining chip in union negotiations by agreeing to put a product back in the plant in return for other concessions, according to industry analysts. That vehicle is unlikely to be the next-generation Jeep Cherokee, which is headed to the Stellantis plant in Toluca, Mexico, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, a Pennsylvania-based research firm.
The Toluca plant is also home to the Jeep Compass, which moved there from Belvidere in 2017 to make way for the Cherokee. Stellantis would not confirm where the Cherokee will be built going forward.
“We will make an announcement regarding the next generation Jeep Cherokee in due course,” Tinson said.
Fiorani said Belvidere will likely remain idle until at least September. Down the road, Fiorani sees a dearth of products that could go to the Belvidere plant after it missed out on the STLA EV platform.
Belvidere is the only one of a dozen Stellantis plants in North America without a product in the pipeline, Fiorani said. All of the plants, he said, will eventually produce EVs.
Stellantis provided a glimpse of that EV future at the Chicago Auto Show in February, where the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV concept car was on display along with the last of Charger and Challenger gas-powered muscle cars.
The Illinois auto manufacturing industry also includes Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant, the Rivian EV plant in Normal and Lion Electric, a startup building EV buses and trucks in Joliet, as well as a handful of parts suppliers.
The state has been aggressively pursuing EV development, enacting legislation in an effort to get manufacturers and suppliers to locate in Illinois, with decidedly mixed results. It has been lobbying hard for Stellantis to electrify the Belvidere plant.
Seeing the Stellantis EV platform, thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment head to Canada while Belvidere sits idle was not part of the state’s development playbook.
“I certainly don’t like the idea of an indefinitely idled plant,” said Dan Seals, CEO of Intersect Illinois, the state’s public-private economic development arm. “I want them to be able to retool it and use it for EVs. Just having it sit there out of use, that’s the worst outcome from my perspective.”
Seals said Stellantis is “still trying to figure out if there’s an option” to power up the Belvidere plant after it closes in March. He cited the existing workforce, infrastructure and cost efficiencies of converting it to an EV plant as a compelling case for Stellantis, or another automaker.
The state has already received an inquiry from a site consultant, Seals said.
“I think you’re going to find a lot of interest in that site,” Seals said. “There’s a lot of demand for sites just like the one that we’ve got in Belvidere.”
Illinois is beefing up its financial incentives to lure or keep automakers in the state in the wake of Stellantis’ decision to idle the plant.
In February, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Invest in Illinois Act, which created a $400 million “closing fund” to incentivize EV manufacturers and other businesses to locate, expand or remain in the state through favorable financing.
The 2021 Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act incentivizes EV manufacturers to locate in the state through tax credits. The legislation was amended in December — 10 days after Stellantis announced it was idling the Belvidere plant — upping the incentive to 75% of state income tax for automakers that retain employees as they transition to EV production.
Last month, the legislation was renamed the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois Act and expanded to incorporate renewable energy projects.
Illinois is still lagging behind neighboring states such as Michigan, which approved a $1 billion economic incentive fund in December 2021 aimed at EV manufacturing development. Last year, Michigan attracted more than $14 billion in electric vehicle and battery investments, according to the state.
“The incentive conversation is one place where we’re at a disadvantage,” Seals said. “But at the end of the day, incentives are just one of many factors about why a company locates.”
The center of the Illinois EV ecosystem is Rivian, which bought an idled Mitsubishi plant for $16 million in 2017, completed a $1.2 billion renovation and breathed new life into Normal, a college town about 130 miles south of Chicago.
California-based Rivian launched production in September 2021. It now has 7,000 employees building an electric pickup truck, SUV and Amazon delivery van in a formerly vacant, 3.3 million-square-foot auto plant.
Rivian has struggled to ramp up production, narrowly missing a downwardly revised target of 25,000 vehicles last year. It had 114,000 electric pickup trucks and SUVs on back order as of November.
Canadian EV truck manufacturer Lion Electric invested $70 million to convert a 900,000-square-foot Joliet warehouse into a factory to produce up to 20,000 electric commercial trucks and buses a year. The first EV school bus rolled off the line in November, and the company has more than 2,000 on order, Lion spokesman Brian Alexander said.
Lion, which is in line to receive $7.9 million in state tax credits if it meets investment and job creation goals, has about 100 employees, with plans to hire 1,000 workers as it ramps up to full capacity over the next four years, Alexander said.
“We expect it to be the largest dedicated medium- and heavy-duty EV truck manufacturing facility in the country,” Alexander said.
It remains to be seen whether the Belvidere Assembly Plant will undergo a similar EV transformation under Stellantis — or another automaker — after the factory goes dark in March.
For Belvidere, industrial roots run as deep as the abundant farm fields that surround it. Beyond a quaint downtown straddling the Kishwaukee River, where colorful murals adorn the sides of its brick buildings, a factory has long loomed large.
Belvidere’s previous manufacturing giant, the National Sewing Machine Co., set up shop in 1886 and was one of the region’s largest employers for more than half a century, with about 2,000 workers at its peak. It closed in 1957 and most of the expansive factory, which took up 26 acres, including an iconic tower and foundry, was demolished.
“The factory was huge,” said Anna Pivoras, executive director of the Boone County Museum of History in downtown Belvidere. “There’s only just a couple of vestiges left of it.”
In 1965, Chrysler turned Belvidere into an auto town when it opened the assembly plant, with a white Plymouth Fury II sedan the first vehicle to roll off the line. Over the years, the plant was retooled several times, making everything from the compact Dodge Neon to the full-size Chrysler New Yorker.
During Chrysler’s bankruptcy in 2009, the plant was down to 200 employees before Fiat and a government bailout rescued it and the company.
By 2012, fresh off a $700 million investment to gear up for production of the Dodge Dart, Fiat Chrysler’s chairman, Sergio Marchionne, visited the plant to announce the addition of a third shift and 1,800 workers.
The plant’s future seemed secure when it became the exclusive home for the Jeep Cherokee in 2017. It was soon hitting on all cylinders, with more than 5,000 workers building 270,000 of the SUVs in 2018.

But Fiat Chrysler eliminated the third shift in 2019, downsizing 1,400 workers out of a job amid declining demand for the Cherokee. Then the pandemic hit, disrupting production with closures and supply chain issues.

Stellantis took the keys to the factory at the start of 2021. The plant was mostly closed from March through October of that year due to the semiconductor shortage. When production resumed in November, the plant was down to one shift and about 2,100 employees.

The ranks were thinned by smaller cuts last year, dwindling to 1,350 workers before Stellantis announced the indefinite idling in December.

Within days, that employee count will be zero.

Pam Lopez-Fettes, executive director of Growth Dimensions, the economic development organization for Belvidere and Boone County, said about 2,000 jobs will be lost from the plant’s idling, including layoffs at nearby suppliers such as Syncreon.

The impact, she said, will stretch far beyond Belvidere, with the workforce coming from a 70-mile radius.

While she is hopeful that Stellantis, or another automaker, will restart the auto plant, she believes the area is less dependent on the plant than it used to be.

“Belvidere, Boone County has diversified,” Lopez-Fettes said. “We have very strong distribution and logistics that’s growing, and we also have food processing that is growing.”

In the broader Rockford region, the aerospace industry is now the largest employer, followed by logistics and advanced manufacturing. Lopez-Fettes said she has already been contacted by a number of area manufacturing businesses looking to hire displaced autoworkers.

The imminent plant idling is nonetheless causing some anxiety at Uncle John’s Family Restaurant, a Belvidere fixture since 1992.

“We all thrive on that huge plant,” said Ibraimi, 46, who grew up in Belvidere and began working at her family-owned restaurant when she was a teenager. “They’re a big part of the community, we have a lot of people that work there. When they’re working, they’re eating, they’re going out. And for them to close completely, it’s devastation for the town and the businesses.”

The restaurant launched just before the Plymouth and Dodge Neon in 1994, which boosted employment and created a steady base of customers for the restaurant. Business slowed during the Great Recession, and whenever the plant was down for retooling

The arrival of the Jeep Cherokee in 2017 was a boon for Boone County and the restaurant, which completed an extensive remodeling last summer. Then came the December plant idling announcement from Stellantis.

“We’re already feeling it a little bit because they’re getting ready to close,” Ibraimi said. “We have regulars that work there, but you’re not seeing them as much. They know they’re getting ready to get laid off.”

One of those getting laid off is Ibraimi’s brother, a 20-year plant veteran who left the family restaurant business for a job on the assembly line. In a city of 25,000, it’s hard to find someone who isn’t related to a current or former worker at the auto plant.

While Belvidere and the state’s economic development organizations continue to make the case for Stellantis to turn the lights back on at the plant, the company remains noncommittal.

“The company is working to identify other opportunities to repurpose the Belvidere facility,” Tinson said. “We have nothing to announce at this time.”

Inside the Boone County Museum of History is a white, four-door Plymouth Fury II sedan. Cordoned off by a white chain stanchion, a large sign proudly proclaims the rear-wheel drive sedan the “1st Car Built Here.”

The car, which carried a sticker price of $3,206.90 — including extras such as an AM radio, an electric clock and undercoating — was minted July 7, 1965.

“The Plymouth Fury is the first car off the assembly line,” said museum director Pivoras. “It is the most popular artifact in our entire museum — we’ve had people travel here just to see it. It’ll always be here.”

Many locals are hoping it won’t be joined by a Jeep Cherokee circa February 28, 2023, as the last vehicle built in Belvidere.
 
#156 ·
February 28, 2023

Stellantis Announces $155 Million Investment in Three Indiana Plants to Support North American Electrification Goals
Image of Stellantis Logo

  • Company to localize production of new electric drive module (EDM) in Kokomo
  • EDM provides all-in-one solution for electric vehicle powertrains, delivering improved performance at competitive cost
  • Investments to be made at Indiana Transmission, Kokomo Transmission and Kokomo Casting Plants
  • More than 265 jobs retained
  • Total investments in Indiana since 2020 to support electrification goals grow to nearly $3.3 billion, including gigafactory joint venture with Samsung SDI
  • Announcement aligns with Company’s long-term strategy to reach 50% U.S. battery electric vehicle sales by 2030, starting with the first fully electric Ram vehicles from 2023 and Jeep from 2024
AMSTERDAM – Stellantis announced today that it will invest a total of $155 million in three Kokomo, Indiana, plants to produce new electric drive modules (EDM) that will help power future electric vehicles assembled in North America and support the goal of 50% battery electric sales in the U.S. by 2030.
With more than 25 battery electric vehicle (BEV) launches planned in the U.S. between now and 2030, the Kokomo-built EDM will be integrated into vehicles designed on the STLA Large and STLA Frame platforms. Offering an all-in-one solution for electric vehicle powertrains, the EDM consists of three main components – the electric motor, power electronics and transmission – that are combined into a single module to deliver improved performance and range at a competitive cost. The optimized efficiency of the new EDM will help each platform achieve driving range up to 500 miles (800 km).
“While we continue our successful transition to a decarbonized future in our European operations, we are now setting those same foundational elements for the North American market,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “By combining the benefits of the EDM with our new BEV-centric platforms and innovative battery technologies, we will offer our customers a variety of electric vehicles with unparalleled performance and range at more affordable prices. And with our in-house manufacturing capabilities and expertise, we will do it with greater flexibility and efficiency.”
Investments will be made at the Indiana Transmission, Kokomo Transmission and Kokomo Casting Plants. The gearbox cover will be cast at Kokomo Casting and machined at Kokomo Transmission. Gear machining and final assembly will be at the Indiana Transmission Plant. Production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024, following retooling.
With the investment, more than 265 jobs will be retained across all three plants.
“With more than 7,000 employees in Indiana, these investments will leverage the core manufacturing competencies of the local workforce in the areas of casting, machining and assembly, all of which will be needed even as the market transitions to an electrified future,” said Mark Stewart, Stellantis North America COO. “The city of Kokomo and the state of Indiana have been great partners for many years. This community will continue to play a central role in our efforts to provide safe, clean and affordable mobility solutions for our customers long into the future.”
Since 2020, Stellantis has invested nearly $3.3 billion in Indiana to support its transition to electrification. This includes recent announcements of $643 million to produce a new engine for conventional and PHEV applications, a next generation eight-speed transmission and a gigafactory joint venture with Samsung SDI.
In total, these investments support Stellantis’ ambition to achieve carbon net zero by 2038, as set out in its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.
Stellantis in Indiana
Stellantis currently operates five powertrain plants in Indiana – three transmission plants, a casting plant and an engine plant. The portfolio of transmissions includes six-, eight- and nine-speed transmissions, as well as the SiEVT transmission for the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid electric minivan, built at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. The casting plant produces aluminum parts for automotive components, transmission and transaxle cases, and engine block castings. The engine plant produces the GMET4 – the Company’s 2.0-liter Global Medium Engine inline four-cylinder turbo.
 
#157 ·
Stellantis and Samsung SDI's Kokomo Gigafactory Marks Construction Milestone
  • First piece of steel raised
  • Beam signed by joint venture management team and Kokomo mayor
  • Companies announced investment commitment of $2.5 billion (€2.3 billion) in May 2022
  • New electric-vehicle battery manufacturing facility to create 1,400 new jobs
  • Expected to launch in first quarter of 2025
March 22, 2023 , Kokomo, Ind. - Stellantis and Samsung SDI marked a milestone today in the construction of their joint venture electric-vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Kokomo, Indiana, with the raising of the first piece of steel that will form the structure of the new gigafactory.

Members of the JV’s management team, Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore, President/CEO of the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance Lori Dukes and the group's Economic Development Advisor Charlie Sparks, former Howard County Commissioner Paul Wyman and Senior Vice President Business Development with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation Brock Herr commemorated the occasion by signing the first steel beam.

The two companies announced the formation of the joint venture in May 2022, committing to invest more than $2.5 billion (€2.3 billion) and create 1,400 new jobs in Kokomo and the surrounding areas. The investment could gradually increase up to $3.1 billion (€2.9 billion).

Targeted to launch in the first quarter of 2025, the plant aims to have an initial annual production capacity of 23 gigawatt-hours (GWh), with an aim to increase to 33 GWh in the next few years. The new facility will supply battery modules for a range of vehicles produced at Stellantis’ North America assembly plants.
 
#158 ·
Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant Recognized for Environmental Excellence by Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC)
  • Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant (WAP) designated as Gold Certified by Wildlife Habitat Council for demonstrating commitment to environmental stewardship
  • WAP currently engaged in 15 environmentally friendly and sustainability projects that were scored in five categories
  • Certified Gold designation adds to recent accolades awarded to the plant on behalf of the WHC:
    • 2021 WHC Ibis Award
    • 2022 Conservation Certification for Turkey Creek Cleanup on World Environment Day
March 22, 2023 , Windsor, Ontario - The Stellantis Windsor (Ontario) Assembly Plant (WAP) has been recognized for its commitment to environmental stewardship, achieving Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Conservation Gold Certification through 15 different environmental projects at the facility in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Windsor Assembly Plant was designated as Certified Gold, signifying leadership amongst the more than 600 members of the WHC Conservation Certification programs. Awarded every two years, the environmental excellence honours are given at Certified, Silver or Gold designations. The plant and its employees received a combined score of 446 points for their efforts – far exceeding the required Gold tier minimum of 262 points – for projects in the following categories: Awareness and Community Engagement, Forested, Landscaped, Grassland, Training and Wetlands/Water Bodies Programs.

Included among the environmental outreach programs conducted by employees and members of the Stellantis and Unifor Local 444 Windsor Assembly Plant Joint Workplace Committee were environmental artwork events, planting trees on plant property and tidying the conservation area located around the facility.

“We are honoured to be recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council in recognition for our ongoing efforts to promote a positive and sustainable environmental impact throughout the local community,” said Dave Bellaire, Windsor Assembly Plant manager. “I am proud of the dedication and leadership shown by our employees and the Unifor Local 444 Joint Workplace Committee. Recognition from esteemed organizations such as the WHC demonstrates we are helping make a difference.”

“The Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant is recognized as meeting the strict requirements of WHC Conservation Certification,” said Margaret O’Gorman, president, WHC. “Companies achieving WHC Conservation Certification, like the Stellantis Windsor Assembly Plant, are environmental leaders, voluntarily managing their lands to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them.”

The Certified Gold status recognition builds on recent accolades bestowed on the plant by the WHC. In 2021, the plant was the recipient of the WHC Ibis Award. It recognizes a WHC-certified program that has demonstrated resilience of spirit and advancement of conservation despite lockdowns, quarantines and additional government-mandated regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the plant was also recognized with Conservation Certification by the WHC for promoting environmental sustainability within the local community where dozens of employee volunteers participated in a cleanup of Turkey Creek, located adjacent to the facility in observance of World Environment Day.

Wildlife Habitat Council
Wildlife Habitat Council promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and education. WHC Conservation Certification programs take corporate sustainability goals and objectives and translate them into tangible and measurable on-the-ground actions. Through a focus on building collaboration for conservation with corporate employees, other conservation organizations, government agencies and community members, WHC programs focus on healthy ecosystems and connected communities. WHC-assisted wildlife habitat and conservation education programs are found in 48 states and 24 countries. www.wildlifehc.org

Stellantis North America
Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) is one of the world’s leading automakers and a mobility provider. In North America, it's best known for producing and selling vehicles in a portfolio of iconic and award-winning brands such as Jeep®, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Fiat. Powered by its diversity, Stellantis leads the way the region and the world move – aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.
 
#159 ·
Washington Post
Electric cars are creating a new economy - and leaving some towns behind

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    Electric cars are creating a new economy - and leaving some towns behind


  • 2/6
    Electric cars are creating a new economy - and leaving some towns behind




Wed, March 22, 2023


BELVIDERE, Ill. - Early last year, workers at a Jeep factory here hoped their plant would be converted to an electric vehicle facility as the auto industry revamps for a green-energy future. Engineers came to take measurements for a possible retooling, and rumors spread that electric sports cars were on the agenda.
But those hopes crumbled last month when the corporate parent company, Stellantis, ended production at the 58-year-old plant and laid off roughly 1,200 workers, ripping the heart out of this small town 70 miles northwest of Chicago.

The decision, now causing knock-on layoffs and lost business at local auto-parts suppliers, restaurants and shops, shows the dark side of the zero-emissions economy the Biden administration is championing with tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer-funded subsidies. Even as many communities will be transformed by the federally backed push to produce electric cars, batteries and solar panels, some will get left behind.

"Whenever you turn the ship . . . you're going to have casualties. Unfortunately the casualties are going to be our employees and our community," Belvidere Mayor Clinton Morris said in an interview.
Federal subsidies for electric vehicles aren't the only reason automakers are going green. But since federal officials have "put their finger on the scale" in favor of EVs, they should be doing more to lessen collateral damage for towns like Belvidere, Morris added. "If they're going to weigh in on that, they should weigh in on how they're going to help employees here and keep them in the community."

As it embarks on its biggest retooling in a century, the auto industry has announced more than $70 billion of EV investments in the United States alone. That spending is already creating new pockets of prosperity in many parts of the country - and apprehension in the long-standing auto-manufacturing communities whose fates aren't yet certain.
Protecting jobs in the EV transition will be a top concern for the United Auto Workers union as it enters negotiations with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis this year for new multiyear labor contracts. Particularly vulnerable are the jobs and Midwestern communities that manufacture the gas-powered engines and transmissions not needed in an EV.
White-collar workers also face uncertainty. General Motors in recent weeks began offering buyouts to its U.S. salaried employees as it trims costs to pay for the EV transition.
In a recent meeting with Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares, Biden's climate adviser, Ali Zaidi, encouraged the auto company to apply for federal funds to help repurpose the Belvidere factory, according to a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson declined to comment.
"The president foresaw that this inevitable transition is going to pose challenges for some firms, workers and communities and that is why his agenda has specific programs to help communities," Celeste Drake, deputy director of the National Economic Council, said by email. The programs include $2 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act for retooling auto factories and Department of Energy loans for clean-energy projects, she said.

Earlier this month, signs of the unease to come were on display in the UAW parking lot in Belvidere, where laid-off workers filed in and out of meetings to decipher their fate. Some with enough seniority can retire early with their pension benefits. Others can request a transfer to another plant out of state. Most complained that Stellantis was providing minimal information about their options.
"They ain't telling us nothing," Alex Lerma, a 26-year veteran with the company, said as he hurried into the building to fill out forms. "I'm going to have to move to Ohio or Michigan - it's not clear."
"We got passed over," another worker muttered as he rushed by.

Aaron and Sonja Penrod, a married couple, face the possibility of being split up as Sonja pursues early retirement and Aaron considers seeking a transfer to Detroit. Sonja has enough years under her belt to get her pension, but Aaron needs three more before he's eligible.

Sonja moved to Indiana and then Illinois to keep her job after Stellantis's predecessor company, Chrysler, closed a factory in St. Louis more than a decade ago, and she says she doesn't want to move to a new place again. So if Aaron heads to Detroit, she will probably retire to the farmhouse they own south of St. Louis.
"I will go visit [Aaron]. I will be in a different state, possibly 10 hours away," she said over chips and salsa at a local restaurant.
"I'll just go live in a little studio apartment somewhere till I get my time," Aaron said. It's not certain he will get a transfer, though - some of his friends who were laid off during an earlier downsizing at the factory two years ago still haven't been offered a job at another Stellantis plant, he said.

For now, they are part of a skeleton crew still working at the Belvidere factory, disassembling and boxing up equipment, a temporary gig that they expect will end soon. Stellantis has said it is "working to identify other opportunities to repurpose the Belvidere facility," but the Penrods see the dismantling of the machinery as a bad sign.
Also on the skeleton crew is Elise Smelser, a pipe fitter who grew up near the factory and began working there in 1999, training under the supervision of her father. Her parents, siblings and 17 nieces and nephews still live in the area and she doesn't want to leave, but at 50 she's too young to retire.
"I started grinding my teeth after they told us - like, during the day, not just at night when I sleep," said Smelser, who is dreading a transfer out of state. "All my family's here, and I have a house . . . plus I would go to a place where I'd be lucky to know, like, two or three people."

Sipping a drink at the Wild Cherries bar a day after attaching his last Jeep bumper, laid-off worker Jerome Davis said he was putting in for a transfer to Detroit, where he has family and even a house that his mother left him. He worries he'll get sent to Toledo instead, and overall he has "no desire to leave" Belvidere, he said.
Thanks to their union, the autoworkers have strong protections during layoffs, including months of severance pay and options for those with enough seniority to retire early with a pension. But the rest of Belvidere has far less of a safety net.

Wrapping up a slow lunch hour at their Mexican restaurant in Belvidere's quaint downtown, siblings Victor Hernandez Jr. and Iveeth Dominguez worried about losing their weekly lunch order from the factory. Every Friday they would deliver $500 or $600 worth of burritos to the plant: a good chunk of their revenue. Autoworkers have also been regular visitors to the restaurant, El Molcajete, since their father opened it in 1994.

Victor said their cousin worked at the auto factory until the last round of downsizing, when he got transferred to Detroit. He left his family behind at their house in Belvidere so his kids could stay in school, and he rents an apartment in Detroit.

"I think that's what a lot of people are doing. They still have their family here because this is where they grew up, this is where they are based. And then they're renting and they come back and forth," he said. The factory closing didn't just eliminate jobs, Victor added. "They're also taking the people away."

Around the corner at Buchanan Street Pub, bartender Toni Stumpf said she recently got a second job in a town half an hour away because business has slowed to a crawl in Belvidere. Lately she's been earning $60 to $80 in tips from an 11 a.m.-to-7 p.m. shift compared with $1oo to $200 in better times.

Her usual customers "don't have that spending money," she said. "They've got enough money from unemployment to pay their bills, hopefully, you know, but they don't have fun money."

Across the street from a giant mural of Belvidere's most famous daughter, the Chicago architect and MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, a local barbershop stood empty on a recent afternoon. Owner James Emanuel said the town has other employers to fall back on, including General Mills, which manufactures granola bars and other foods in Belvidere and recently opened a giant distribution center.

Still, the Stellantis shutdown is "definitely going to have an effect on the community, and not just Belvidere," he said. "It's going to be Rockford. It's going to be southern Wisconsin."

After days of back-to-back meetings with union members, Kevin Logan, president of UAW Local 1268, spoke with The Washington Post about the shutdown and the "mixed emotions" he has about the electric transition.

"We've got to do something to reduce the emissions and everything for the environment," he said from the empty union hall as night fell outside. But the job losses worry him, along with the lack of charging infrastructure. "I wish that we would, as a company or as a country, slowly go into it. . . . I just think it's happening so quickly."

Logan, who worked at the factory for more than 10 years before switching to union work, said he plans to pursue early retirement to keep his family rooted in the Belvidere area. But for the past several days he'd heard story after story of workers who faced tougher decisions - spouses who didn't know whether they could get transferred to the same city, parents worried about leaving high school kids behind in Belvidere, and workers who are caring for an elderly parent.

He also worries about the town's tax base and ability to maintain services.

"Is the school going to start laying off teachers? You know, enrollment is probably going to go down in schools if people are moving away," he said. "Could that be a trickle-down where police start laying people off? And then does crime pick back up? It's just a ripple effect throughout the whole community, and it's going to devastate this area."

 
#160 ·
Michigan set to fine Stellantis' Warren truck plant over pollution violations
Carol Thompson
The Detroit News

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Michigan environmental regulators are pursuing fines against Stellantis because of repeated air quality violations at the company's Warren Truck Assembly plant.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has issued the plant four violation notices since it started operating in February 2021 with a new air permit after the automaker put in a new paint shop.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV used to operate the factory until it merged with French automaker Groupe PSA in early 2021 to become Stellantis NV. The Warren plant underwent a $1.5 billion update to bring the assembly of the new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs to the site alongside the Ram Classic pickup trucks.
 
#161 ·
Chrysler-parent Stellantis looks to trim around 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs -union letter
By David Shepardson

Stellantis assembly workers work on assembling the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Stellantis assembly workers work on assembling the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L at the Detroit Assembly Complex - Mack Plant in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

WASHINGTON, April 25 (Reuters) - Chrysler-parent Stellantis NV (STLAM.MI) wants to cut approximately 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs and is offering voluntary exit packages, according to a United Auto Workers union letter made public Tuesday.


The automaker is looking to reduce its hourly workforce offering incentive packages that include $50,000 payments for workers hired before 2007, UAW Local 1264 said in a letter dated Monday posted on its Facebook page.

Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson declined to comment. A person briefed on the matter said the figure might be lower than the figure cited in the UAW letter.
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In late February, Stellantis indefinitely halted operations at an assembly plant in Illinois, citing rising costs of electric vehicle production.
The action impacted about 1,350 workers at the Belvidere, Illinois, plant that built the Jeep Cherokee SUV and resulted in indefinite layoffs. The automaker has warned it may not resume operations as it considers other options.

The UAW letter said openings created by workers leaving would be filled by workers on indefinite layoff. Stellantis said in February that about 40,000 U.S. hourly workers were eligible for profit sharing.

Last week, UAW President Shawn Fain said Stellantis' decision to idle the Illinois plant was "a flat-out violation" of the union's contract with the UAW and is unacceptable.
The UAW will enter talks with the Detroit Three before labor contracts expire in mid-September.

Earlier this month, General Motors (GM.N) said about 5,000 salaried workers accepted buyouts to leave the automaker. GM CEO Mary Barra said February job cuts of a few hundred jobs and the 5,000 buyouts "provided approximately $1 billion towards" a $2 billion cost cutting target.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) recently announced significant job cuts in Spain, Germany and other parts of Europe and in August said it would cut a total of 3,000 salaried and contract jobs, mostly in North America and India.
 
#162 ·
Etobicoke and Kokomo Casting Plants Earn Safety Awards

  • Trio of awards recognizing Stellantis manufacturing plants' efforts toward employee safety, including a second "Perfect"
  • Etobicoke Casting Plant and Kokomo Casting Plant part of ongoing investment in North America to support the goal of 50% battery-electric sales by 2030
  • North American Die Casting Association (NADCA) supports and promotes metallurgy facilities across the continent
June 7, 2023 , Auburn Hills, Mich. -
From molten metal to award medals, two of Stellantis' North American casting plants have been recognized with safety awards from the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA).
The Etobicoke Casting Plant (ECP) in Ontario, Canada, and Kokomo Casting Plant (KCP) in Kokomo, Indiana, received three prestigious awards in the annual NADCA Safety Award Program. The program recognizes facilities across North America "with a strong emphasis on their employees' safety and well-being."
For the second year in a row, ECP was awarded the Perfect Award, based on its 2022 safety record. The Perfect Award recognizes companies that maintained a safety record during the year with zero lost days/transfers/restrictions as documented by the data submitted to NADCA.
For the ninth consecutive year, KCP received the Outstanding Award and, for the third time overall, received the Progress Award for Safety Improvements based on the plant’s 2022 safety record. The Outstanding Award is given to companies with employee days away from recordable injuries or illnesses averaging less than 2.1. The Progress Award is given to a company that has shown improvement of 25% or more compared with the prior year.
"Employee safety is priority number one and core to the culture in all of our Stellantis manufacturing facilities," said Mike Resha, senior vice president and head of North America manufacturing, Stellantis. "I'm extremely proud of the recognition the teams at our Etobicoke and Kokomo casting facilities have received from NADCA for their sustained and ongoing efforts to keep everyone safe while making top-quality products."
On Aug. 1, 2022, Stellantis announced a $99 million investment in three North American plants for production of a new 1.6-liter, I-4 turbocharged engine that has both direct fuel injection and flexibility for hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) applications. Nearly $2 million will be invested at Etobicoke to support the development and installation of new tooling and equipment upgrades for production of the oil pan for the engine. More than $14 million will be invested at Kokomo Casting to convert existing die-cast machines and cells for production of the engine blocks.
On Feb. 28, 2023, Stellantis announced that it will invest a total of $155 million in three Kokomo, Indiana, plants to produce new electric drive modules (EDM) that will help power future electric vehicles assembled in North America and to support the goal of 50% battery-electric sales in the U.S. by 2030. The EDM gearbox cover will be cast at the Kokomo Casting Plant. Production is expected to start in the third quarter of 2024, following retooling.
As award winners, ECP and KCP will be highlighted in Die Casting Engineer magazine and recognized at this year’s Die Casting Congress & Tabletop Show, September 19-21, 2023, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
NADCA was founded in 1989 to support and promote the die casting industry throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
 
#163 ·
Stellantis fined $5,000 for latest Jeep plant odor violation
Breana Noble
The Detroit News

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The maker of Jeep SUVs will pay the state of Michigan $5,000 because of a May air-quality violation at its new plant in Detroit.
In response to a complaint, staff from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy visited the Mack Assembly Plant where Stellantis NV builds Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs. They found the plant was emitting "objectionable" paint and solvent odors of "moderate to strong intensity," affecting nearby neighborhoods that are downwind of the manufacturing complex.
Bodies of the Jeep Grand Cherokee L enter the paint shop at Stellantis NV’s Detroit Assembly Complex – Mack plant where they will get their finishes. The state of Michigan is fining Stellantis a $5,000 penalty for its latest odor violation at the plant from May.


Stellantis has received repeated violations for more than a year and a half at the plant because of odors and has entered into a consent order valued at $283,832 with the EGLE in hopes of resolving the problem. Part of that deal requires stipulated penalties for continued violations. Stellantis must make the payment by July 13.

Stellantis already had agreed to pay a fine of $136,832 in the consent agreement. Additionally, it's installing a new building management system at nearby Southeastern High School and a second regenerative thermal oxidizer in the Mack plant's paint shop that must be in operation by June 30.

"Stellantis has settled the recent Mack violation notice with EGLE as expected," spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said in a statement. "We continue to work on completing the installation of the new regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) and have it operational by the end of the month as stipulated in our settlement."

EGLE staff still is discussing the terms and requirements of the permit for the second RTO, but the consent odor allows the facility to begin operating it before the issuance of the permit.

"The company has indicated they are on track for this to happen," EGLE spokesperson Hugh McDiarmid Jr. said in an email. "They have their summer shutdown during this time, so the unit will be up and running when they start back up again on July 5."
 
#164 ·
Wed, June 28, 2023
Tire Automotive parking light Wheel Car Vehicle



By Bianca Flowers
Stellantis puts Michigan plants in 'critical status' ahead of union talks


(Reuters) - Carmaker Stellantis will require union employees to work mandatory overtime at its Warren Truck assembly and Jefferson North factory in Michigan, to boost Jeep SUV production ahead of a potential strike deadline in September, according to a document shared with Reuters.
Stellantis told workers at both facilities the plants will be in "critical status" from July 5 through October 2. Under the current United Auto Workers (UAW) contract, a plant in critical status can run up to 7 days a week for a period of 90 days and require union employees to work more than 9 hours of overtime, according to a notice sent to employees and reviewed by Reuters.
"The company executives are doing this to build up inventory ahead of a potential strike. They are trying to intimidate us because we will not accept another sellout contract from the United Auto Workers," the rank-and-file committee, an independent group of mostly union workers for the Warren Truck facility, said in a blog post.


Stellantis said the reason was strong sales.
“Due to high demand for the Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer and Jeep Grand Cherokee, Stellantis has put the Warren Truck, Detroit Assembly Complex – Jefferson, and Kokomo Engine plants on critical plant status," the company said in a statement. "The plants may run up to seven days a week for the next three months to increase sales of these popular models.”
In the notice sent to the UAW, the company said the critical status designation of the Warren plant was due to a shortfall in production of its Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models that are 17,871 units behind schedule year-to-date.

UAW members said the production gap was due to the company laying off a shift of workers at the plant last summer.
UAW President Shawn Fain and other union leaders are ratcheting up pressure on Stellantis, General Motors and Ford ahead of the Sept. 14 expiration of the UAW's current national contracts with the Detroit Three.

Fain has attacked Stellantis for shutting down a Jeep factory in Belvidere, Ill., calling that a violation of the existing contract.
In the past, automakers have built up inventory of their most popular vehicles ahead of the UAW contract deadline and possible strike action.
Headed into this year's talks, Detroit automakers had lean inventories compared to the past. Production cuts forced by semiconductor shortages and efforts by all three Detroit automakers to keep prices high mean they have thinner cushions going into the fall.

Formal contract negotiations between the Detroit Three automakers and UAW leaders are set to begin on July 13.
 
#165 ·
Some Jeep plants to run 7 days per week; other Stellantis facilities on summer shutdown

Sat, July 8, 2023



Stellantis will operate several of its plants seven days per week for the next few months, but the company is also implementing a summer shutdown at others.

Stellantis will operate several of its plants seven days per week for the next few months, but the company is also implementing a summer shutdown at others.
Several Stellantis plants producing popular Jeep SUVs will be running seven days per week in the coming months.

The company said the moves would affect its Warren Truck, Detroit Assembly Complex-Jefferson — formerly known as Jefferson North — and Kokomo (Indiana) Engine plants.
“Due to high demand for the Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer and Jeep Grand Cherokee, Stellantis has put the Warren Truck, Detroit Assembly Complex-Jefferson and Kokomo Engine plants on critical plant status. The plants may run up to seven days a week for the next three months to increase sales of these popular models,” the company said in a statement sent by spokeswoman Ann Marie Fortunate.

The Free Press reached out to UAW officials connected to all three plants, seeking comment.

The company was also asked about concerns expressed to the Free Press about drinking water availability during shifts at Warren Truck in the midst of hotter temperatures.
More: Stellantis says deal reached with Canadians on massive Windsor, Ontario battery plant

Here’s how the company responded:

“The health and safety of our employees is our top priority. During the summer months, the company takes extra precautions including providing water and electrolyte replacement fluids, fans for workstations and additional precautionary measures for individuals with heightened susceptibility to heat. We will continue to monitor conditions and adjust as necessary.”
The critical status operations come even as the company institutes its traditional summer shutdown at some plants — including Warren Truck, which is scheduled for a shutdown later this summer. Fortunate said the schedule allows for a “one-week summer shutdown to maintain optimal inventory levels or undergo maintenance and other facility upgrades” and "powertrain, stamping and component plants will align work patterns to support assembly production schedules."

More: New Stellantis CFO Natalie Knight: Automaker has 'big growth ambition'


Here’s the shutdown schedule:
Week of July 3:
∎ Brampton Assembly Plant (Ontario)∎ Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant (Mexico)

Week of Aug. 21:
∎ Warren Truck Assembly (Michigan)∎ Windsor Assembly Plant (Ontario)
Fortunate said Detroit Assembly Complex-Mack and Jefferson, as well as the Toledo Assembly Complex were on summer shutdown last week.
 
#166 ·
New Electric Vehicle Battery Cap Plant to Create 300 Jobs in Allen County INDIANA
News20 July 2023 Alan Caldwell


An electric vehicle battery cap plant is set to open in Allen County, creating an estimated 300 new jobs with the potential for 100 more in the future. The facility will serve as a Chrysler parts plant for Samsun SDI, a company currently under construction in Kokomo.
Located in the Stonebridge Business Park III near the intersection of I-69 and I-469, the plant has received approval for a tax abatement of $3.7 million over a 10-year period from the Allen County Council. The facility has been purchased by SH America, headquartered in Seoul, Korea, for $11.8 million. The company plans to invest over $62 million into the plant, which will be housed in one of two 150,000 square foot shell buildings on Hitzfield Road in Roanoke.

The primary focus of the plant will be the fabrication of caps for electric vehicle batteries. These caps will incorporate patented venting capability to reduce pressure buildup within the batteries, making them safer and less likely to ignite. Notably, the plant will not store or handle batteries on-site.
The average salary for employees at the plant is expected to be around $57,000, and the workforce could grow to 400 employees by the end of 2026. The annual payroll is projected to exceed $22 million.
During a meeting with the Allen County Council, Seong Wood (Stephen) Ma, managing director for SH America, expressed his belief that the plant’s presence could attract additional electric vehicle component suppliers to the area. In a letter submitted to the Department of Planning Services, Ma stated, “Our company may also be able to help convince other EV component suppliers to locate in Allen County as well.”

The development of the Samsung SDI plant in Kokomo has created a need for additional suppliers in the area. SH America is one of the 20 suppliers sought after to fulfill this demand.
The opening of the electric vehicle battery cap plant brings promise for both the local economy and the future of electric vehicles. With its focus on safety and innovation, the plant will contribute to the growth of the electric vehicle industry while providing job opportunities for the residents of Allen County.
 
#169 ·
Stellantis CEO dangles a potential factory relaunch as autoworkers say a strike is possible
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS AP
PUBLISHED 1:06 PM ET JUL. 26, 2023

MILAN (AP) — Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares on Wednesday dangled a potential relaunch of a shuttered Illinois factory if it can be made more competitive as the United Auto Workers Union says a strike is possible.
UAW President Shawn Fain is looking for major gains, including cost-of-living pay increases, in talks with Stellantis — along with Ford and General Motors — and has warned that workers at all three automakers could walk off the job. Fain's campaign to become UAW's president leveraged the fate of the Jeep assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, whose 1,350 workers were laid off.
Tavares told reporters during an earnings conference call that the Belvidere factory, which was shut down indefinitely in the spring, could get a new production line depending on factors like the success of Stellantis' launch of fully electric vehicles in the U.S.
“So far the decision is not made,” Tavares said, adding that progress in the union talks could determine Belvidere's future. “We will wait to see if we are able to use these negotiations to make sure that we fix all the competitive opportunities we have.”
He added that ”the question is if we create conditions for that plant to be competitive in the midterm. We need to protect the value creation of our business in the U.S."
The UAW leader has made clear that the union is preparing to strike against Detroit automakers if no deal is reached before contracts for some 150,000 workers expire on Sept. 14.
Tavares told reporters that he viewed the strike threat as a normal part of the union's negotiating tactics, and didn't appear particularly worried.
“It is not in our DNA to plan for strikes,” Tavares said, adding that the carmaker has not faced significant strikes since Stellantis was created in 2021 from a merger of French carmaker PSA Peugeot and the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Stellantis is starting what Tavares called an “EV offensive” in the United States this year with the Jeep Recon, the Wagoneer and the Dodge Charger.
He said he is aiming for a fully electric vehicle in the $25,000 range to attract middle-class buyers who shy away from the additional costs associated with the technology. Stellantis is absorbing 40% of electric vehicle costs to meet deadlines set by regulators, which are outpacing natural market demand, Tavares said.
In Europe, EV sales are buoyed by subsidies, he noted.
“Right now, if you stop the subsidies on EV sales, the demand collapses. It means right now people would like to enjoy clean mobility, but they don't want to pay for it,” he said.
The U.S.-European carmaker on Wednesday reported a 37% boost in earnings in the first half of the year, driven by strong North America income and an increase in electric vehicle sales in Europe.
Profit in the first six months of the year was 10.9 billion euros ($12.07 billion), compared with 7.96 billion euros in the first half of 2022. The carmaker set record net revenue in the first six months of the year of 98.4 billion euros, up 12% over a year earlier. It came as shipments rose to 3.327 million vehicles from 3.033 million.
Tavares called the first-half performance “outstanding,” saying that it “supports our long-term stability.”
Sales of all-electric vehicles rose by 24% to 169,000 vehicles as Stellantis became the third-largest producer of EVs in Europe, led by the Fiat New 500, Open Mokka and Citroen Berlingo.
Stellantis has 25 electric vehicles on the market and is launching another 23 by the end of next year.
North America accounted for 57% of adjusted operating income and nearly half of company revenue, boosted by higher sales of Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Charger and Durango.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
 
#170 ·
Stellantis' Windsor EV battery plant is hiring launch team to train in Poland, Asia
Breana Noble
The Detroit News

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The core team of production engineers and technicians now being hired at Stellantis NV's joint-venture electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ontario, will travel to Poland, China and South Korea to learn how a battery plant runs.
NextStar Energy, the joint venture between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution, has kicked off the recruitment of 130 employees for its launch team at the $3.8 billion ($5 billion Canadian) facility, set to be the largest battery plant in North America announced so far from the maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and other vehicles. Production is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2024. The plant will have more than 45 gigawatt hours of capacity and employ 2,500 people.

Trousers Sky Cloud Motor vehicle Workwear



Details on starting wages aren't being provided at this time. The launch staff includes 30 professionals focused on growing the business operations such as human resources and accounting. The other 100 represent the core team of production engineers and technicians who will travel overseas for the approximately four-month international training program starting in October.


"Employees are the most important asset in building lithium-ion batteries, and we plan to invest significantly in making sure that our employees are ready to manage the complicated process and equipment," NextStar Energy CEO Danies Lee said in a statement. "We are excited to become a leading employer in Windsor and look forward to offering exciting jobs where people can develop the skills they need to build long-term careers in this important and growing industry."

The core team will be responsible for training the thousands of other employees who will be hired from now until 2025. EV battery module production will begin in the second quarter of 2024, and the company wants to have all 2,500 employees in place for full-scale production of the modules, electrodes and cells in early 2025.
 
#171 ·
7 microwaves disappear from Chrysler cafeteria in Trenton
Trenton police sign

Trenton Police Department (News-Herald file photo)

August 3, 2023

Trenton police officers met with security personnel at an automotive plant after multiple microwaves went missing.
The incident was reported on July 20 when officers were called to the Stellantis Chrysler Engine Plant, 2300 Van Horn Road.
Police spoke with the corporate security manager who said that seven Magic Chef Microwaves were taken from the north end cafeteria/cooling rooms.

The security manager said all of the microwaves were out of its packaging and were in use.
 
#172 ·
UAW colludes in Forvia closure of Highland Park, Michigan plant
Nate Rodshaw
9 hours ago

In a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) sent to the State of Michigan on July 17, auto parts supplier Forvia announced the imminent closure of its Highland Park, Michigan, plant. The closure of the plant which produces seating for the Jeep Wagoneer sport utility vehicle will affect 511 workers.
The announcement comes just eight months after Forvia sent a similar WARN notice, originally dated November 30, 2022, and later updated on January 31, 2023, to announce the closure of the metals department within the same Highland Park plant. The metals department was responsible for the construction and framing of the seats for the Jeep Wagoneer. The closure of the department followed the elimination of the third shift at the Stellantis Warren Truck Assembly Plant (WTAP) where the Wagoneer is manufactured, and resulted in the permanent layoff of 268 temporary employees as the work was relocated to a Forvia plant in Monterrey, Mexico.
The closure comes as an “amicable resolution” between Forvia (formerly Faurecia) and Stellantis that allows the “continuation of the Seat Frame activity, relocated in Monterrey (Mexico)” and the “termination of the Just-in-time business as from September 30, 2023,” according to a July 27 press release.

Faurecia auto parts plant in Highland Park, Michigan. [Photo: Forvia-Faurecia]
The job cuts by Forvia take place as automotive suppliers are preparing for the impact of a possible strike against one or all three of the Big Three auto companies. In a report in Crain’s Detroit Business, Glenn Stevens, an industry consultant, said, “They’re all preparing to various degrees,” in regard to the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City. “If you’re not anticipating that, you’re flying blind, and companies aren’t doing that.”
Workers have largely been left in the dark as to the details of the Forvia closure. In an email to the Detroit News, a company spokesperson said, “the company is encouraging workers to apply for open positions at its other Metro Detroit operations.”
It cannot be overstated the degree to which United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 155, which “represents” the workers whose livelihoods are on the chopping block, is fully complicit in this attack on workers. In December 2022, then UAW Local 155 Vice President Waymon Halty spoke with Automotive News regarding the closure of the metals department, noting complacently, “it was a cost saving decision made a couple years ago.”
A couple years ago? The Local leadership knew of the closure of a major department, employing over 250 workers, for over a year and did nothing! How long has the union known of the impending closure? What has the union done to notify workers and organize opposition? Word has gotten around on the shop floor, but not a single post has been made on the Local 155 Facebook page.

One day after the initial layoff announcement last December, a tragic shooting took place at the plant. Though apparently not directly related to the jobs cuts, the incident speaks to the enormous social tensions at the plant.
At the time, Local 155 responded to the layoffs by promoting anti-Mexican chauvinism in an effort to deflect blame for its own treachery.
These types of decisions are not made overnight. Automotive News reported that significant changes in the Wagoneer seating program were known at least since April. “The Jeep seating business is being picked up by seating competitor Lear Corp., which said in an earnings presentation in April that it won a conquest award to supply complete seats for the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer launching in late 2023.”
In order to fully understand the forces aligned against the Forvia workers and to develop a strategy to oppose this and future attacks, it is necessary to examine the circumstances around the closure in relation to the history of the Highland Park plant itself, and to place that within the broader context of the deep changes in the global auto industry associated with the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
Highland Park is an enclave which, along with neighboring Hamtramck, is entirely surrounded by the city of Detroit. The now-impoverished city has a history of auto production that spans over a century. The Forvia plant located at 1300 Oakland Park Boulevard is located at the north end of the former site of the Chrysler world headquarters. It is located about one mile from the Highland Park Ford Plant which was the site of the first moving assembly line. The 150 acre “brownfield” was redeveloped into eight factory and warehouse spaces by Stuart Frankel Development Co. after Chrysler relocated its headquarters to Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 1996. The Oakland Park development has since been a major hub for auto parts production.
The plant has long been the site of seating production serving as a just-in-time (JIT) supplier for the many Big Three assembly plants in Detroit and the metropolitan area. Before Forvia, the plant was operated by Integrated Manufacturing & Assembly (IMA), a joint venture between Lear Corporation and Comer Holdings. Forvia, through its predecessor Faurecia, has operated the plant since 2019. Faurecia received a $2 million grant of state funds from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in late 2019 for a planned $10.7 million investment in the plant and the “creation” of 500 jobs.
The Highland Park plant still maintains the Faurecia moniker. Significantly, the sign on the building at 1300 Oakland Park Blvd. was never upgraded to a permanent installation over the four years Faurecia/Forvia has operated the plant. To this day, a temporary banner is mounted over the former location of the IMA sign. This raises the question if the entire operation was planned by Faurecia executives as a temporary enterprise from the outset.
France-based Faurecia had been a subsidiary of PSA and became independent only with the formation of Stellantis through the merger of PSA with Fiat Chrysler in 2021. Faurecia formally changed its name to Forvia in February 2022 after completing the acquisition of German lighting company HELLA on January 31, 2022. Forvia claims the merger created the seventh-largest auto parts supplier.

The innumerable auto parts suppliers that began spinning off from the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the late 1990s and early 2000s have been in a perpetual state of flux with near constant bankruptcies, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures. The announcement of the closure of the Forvia plant in Highland Park is only one expression of a renewed shakeup as the suppliers react to the changing demands of the OEMs as the global auto industry shifts to “mobility” and the proliferation of EVs. Automotive News reported that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares warned, “suppliers must work to cut costs as the automaker tries to compete against lower-priced Chinese EVs.”

Throughout this process, the UAW has worked in tandem with Forvia and other auto parts makers at the supplier park, such as Magna and Johnston Controls, to ensure low-cost production and prevent strikes. Time and again the Local 155 leadership, like the national leadership of the UAW in Solidarity House, have demonstrated they are concerned only with maintaining their privileged position.

To advance their independent interests, Forvia workers must form rank-and-file committees independent of both the company and the UAW. The struggle for the defense of jobs and improvement of working conditions cannot be fought on the level of the individual plant or company.

The location of the Forvia Highland Park plant in the Oakland Park complex can be used to the advantage of the Forvia workers as they initiate their struggle. Workers should follow the example of the courageous workers in Matamoros, Mexico, in 2019 and send delegations to the neighboring plants of Magna, Yanfeng, Valeo Avancez, Mobis, Modular Automotive Systems and the other warehouses that line the boulevard.

The unity of auto parts workers in a common fight across company lines at these key plants could bring a substantial portion of the auto industry to a standstill. This fight in defense of jobs and safe working conditions would be welcomed by autoworkers in the Big Three as they enter a contract fight in September.

The newly formed committees should adopt the demands advanced by the Autoworkers Rank-and-File Committee Network in their July 9 statement as an important step in their own fight.
 
#173 ·
UAW angrily tosses Stellantis contract offer in trash

Rebecca Cook/Reuters/FILE
72
Reuters
Tue, August 8, 2023


United Auto Workers (UAW) union President Shawn Fain angrily tossed contract proposals from Stellantis in a trash can on Tuesday, citing numerous concessions that the Chrysler parent is seeking in labor talks.
“Stellantis proposals are a slap in the face,” Fain said during an online chat, disclosing the company is proposing cuts to health-care coverage, fewer vacation days for new hires, employer cuts to 401(k) contributions, and lifting a cap on the number of temporary employees. “Management has chosen to spit in our faces.”
During the chat Fain tossed a copy of the Stellantis proposal in a waste basket. “That’s where it belongs - in the trash - because that’s what it is,” he said.
The July 27 company document seen by Reuters makes many proposals aimed at reducing absenteeism, which the automaker said cost it more than 16,000 vehicles of lost production, or $217 million in lost revenue.

Stellantis also seeks to cut pension, health-care and other costs, saying that amid government electric vehicle rules, it “is imperative we find ways to reduce the overall fixed cost structure of our business.”
Stellantis said the cumulative increase in employee health-care costs over the next four years is expected to be $613 million.
The UAW also said the company opposes an end to two-tier wages, a practice of newer hires getting paid much less than veteran workers.
Fain cited an Aug. 1 statement Stellantis made to Reuters that the automaker is “not seeking a concessionary agreement.”
Stellantis did not comment.
The UAW is seeking pay raises of more than 40% over four years, significant additional time off, and a restoration of defined-benefit pensions previously eliminated for newer workers.
Stellantis’ proposal said it wants to “minimize pension costs,” which are approximately $1 billion annually.
The current four-year contracts with Stellantis, General Motors and Ford Motor expire on Sept. 14. Fain warned Tuesday: “The clock is ticking - time to get down to business.”
Two people briefed on the matter told Reuters that automakers have estimated the UAW’s contract demands could raise the current mid-$60-per-hour labor rate to more than $150 per hour.
The UAW is also seeking to make all temporary workers at US automakers permanent, add a substantial increase in paid time off, and restore retiree health-care benefits and cost-of-living adjustments. The union also wants new limits on temporary workers.
 
#174 ·
Workers at Stellantis plant diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease
Eric D. Lawrence
Detroit Free Press






Two workers at Stellantis' Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Macomb County have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease.
Details about their conditions and how they contracted the bacterial disease were not immediately clear.
Ann Marie Fortunate, a spokeswoman for Stellantis, which owns the Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands, provided a company statement Wednesday:
"Stellantis has been notified that two employees at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. At this time, it has not been determined where the employees may have come in contact with the bacteria. However, out of an abundance of caution for the safety and welfare of our employees, we have mobilized a team to begin testing water sources, and are following appropriate and established protocols at the plant. As part of our thorough investigation, we will contact and cooperate with all proper agencies as necessary."
Fortunate said the company doesn't have additional information to share beyond what is in the statement, including whether there has been any change in production at the plant.
Stellantis confirmed Wednesday that two workers at the company's Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Warren have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease.



More than 3,500 people work at the plant just north of Detroit that produces the older version of the Ram 1500 pickup and the high-end Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer.
The Free Press also sent a request for comment to Jim McNeill, a UAW spokesman.

Legionnaires' disease is a serious serious form of pneumonia, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which notes that the bacteria that cause the illness can become a health concern when they grow and spread in human-made building water systems.

As of Aug. 5, state health records show there have been 226 cases of Legionnaires' reported so far this year in Michigan.

The illness does not generally spread from person to person but that may be possible in rare circumstances, the CDC said on its website.

Chelsea Wuth, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, referred a Free Press reporter seeking additional information to the Macomb County Health Department.

Andrew Cox, director of health and community services and health officer for the Macomb County Health and Community Services Department, provided a statement Wednesday night:

"Macomb County Health Department is actively working with Stellantis at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant after two employees tested positive for Legionella. Stellantis has provided all information requested at this time and continues to cooperate with this investigation. Anyone who develops pneumonia or fever and respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, headache and muscles aches, should talk to their healthcare provider about testing for Legionella infection."


Spokespeople at Ford and General Motors indicated there are no known cases of Legionnaires' at either automaker's facilities.

There have been some notable cases of Legionnaires' disease or instances where the bacteria were found in Michigan in recent years:

∎ A massive outbreak was identified in 90 people from 2014-15 tied to a water tower at McLaren Flint Hospital. Twelve people died, with 10 of them having known exposure to McLaren Flint Hospital.

Legionella bacteria was discovered in a water tower in 2019 on the Wayne State campus, though no cases were associated with that. A year earlier, however, two contractors working in construction — building new apartments on campus, contracted Legionnaires' along with an employee at the WSU Faculty Administration Building. The same year (2018), legionella bacteria was detected in the cooling towers used for four campus buildings — Shapero Hall, Scott Hall, the Applebaum Building and the Cohn Building. It also was identified in three bathrooms in 2018 on campus in Scott Hall, Cohn and the Faculty Administration Building:

∎ In 2019, Legionella bacteria was found in three hot water tanks at Ford Motor Co.'s Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing Plant, which employed about 700 people at the time and is among several plants at the Rouge Complex. At the time, the company was not aware of any cases of Legionnaires' disease associated with the hot water tanks.
 
#175 ·
Chrysler owner calls for focus on reality in UAW labor talks

The New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City
David Shepardson
Fri, August 11, 2023


By David Shepardson


(Reuters) -Chrysler parent Stellantis sharply criticized the demands of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union on Friday, saying they need "a focus on reality from everyone involved."
Stellantis North America Chief Operating Officer Mark Stewart said in a letter to employees seen by Reuters the automaker is "committed to working with the UAW to reach an agreement based on economic realism."
A UAW spokesman declined immediate comment on Stewart's letter, but earlier this week UAW President Shawn Fain called the Stellantis proposals "trash" and tossed a copy of them in a waste basket in live streamed remarks.

Stewart added that agreeing to Fain's "demands could endanger our ability to make decisions in the future that provide job security for our employees. This is a losing proposition for all of us."
The current four-year contracts with Stellantis, General Motors and Ford Motor expire Sept. 14.
The UAW has said it is seeking "audacious and ambitious" improvements, including pay raises of more than 40% over four years, significant additional time off, and a restoration of defined-benefit pensions previously eliminated for newer workers.

Fain Tuesday criticized numerous concessions Stellantis is seeking.
"Stellantis proposals are a slap in the face," Fain said disclosing the company was proposing cuts to healthcare coverage, fewer vacation days for new hires and lifting a cap on temporary employees.

Stewart said Fain did not fairly represent the negotiations.
"The theatrics and personal insults will not help us reach an agreement," Stewart wrote, adding "now is the time to come to the table with open minds and a commonsense approach." He added "at this very early stage, no one should jump to any conclusions about the outcome of the process."
Stellantis has made proposals aimed at reducing absenteeism and cutting pension, healt-care and other costs, saying that amid government electric vehicle rules, it was imperative to "find ways to reduce the overall fixed cost structure of our business".
The UAW also said the company opposes an end to two-tier wages, a practice of newer hires getting paid much less than veteran workers.
Two people briefed on the matter told Reuters this week automakers have estimated the UAW's contract demands could raise the current mid-$60-per-hour labor rate to more than $150 per hour.
 
#176 ·
U.S car industry would lose $5.5 billion if workers strike, report says. So far, negotiations have been rife with ‘theatrics and personal insults‘
Paolo Confino
Fri, August 18, 2023


A United Auto Workers strike could cost the industry billions of dollars, according to a report released Thursday, highlighting the huge stakes involved in an upcoming union vote on whether to authorize a walkout.

If the UAW were to strike for just 10 days it could lead to economic losses of $5.5 billion across the entire industry, forecasts consulting firm Anderson Economic Group. The estimate takes a comprehensive view, factoring in losses to workers and manufacturers, alongside the ripple effects a strike could have on car dealers and parts suppliers.

The UAW represents about 146,000 workers at the so-called Big Three U.S. car manufacturers: General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis—the company created from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group in 2021. Union chapters are scheduled to vote on whether to authorize a strike next week. Meanwhile, the current labor agreement is set to expire on Sept. 14, and the UAW has already said it will not extend the current deal.

By AEG’s calculations the strike would lead to lost wages of $859 million and manufacturer losses of $989 million, meaning that the union and automakers would lose $1.8 billion, as a direct result of the strike. AEG then roughly doubled that figure to calculate what it considers the true value of those losses to the firms, which brings the total estimated losses to $3.5 billion. The analysis goes on to include another $2.1 billion in losses from suppliers and car dealerships would incur as a result of a work stoppage.

“Consumer and dealer losses are typically somewhat insulated in the event of a very short strike,” AEG vice president Tyler Theile said in a statement. However, because inventories were about one-fifth of what they were in 2019, the last time the UAW went on strike dealers and customers could be affected “much sooner,” Theile said.

The 2019 strike lasted around six weeks and only took place at General Motors plants, rather than across all the Big Three. Even though it was limited only to GM, the strike cost workers $1 billion in wages and GM $2 billion in lost production. If a strike were limited to just a single automaker this time as well it would lead to around $1.4 billion in total losses, according to AEG. And that’s just for a 10-day strike, meaning costs could balloon even more should it go beyond that.

The UAW and the Big Three still have work to do
The union and the Big Three are still far from agreement on key issues this time around. Union demands include a 40% pay increase, guaranteed pensions for new hires, cost-of-living increases, and a request to hire all temporary workers as full-time employees. UAW president Shawn Fain has said he expects workers to be able to secure big gains in upcoming negotiations so long as they are prepared to strike for them.

However, Fain’s outspokenness and bullishness about the contract talks was met with skepticism, particularly from Stellantis, which has 43,000 union employees. The company’s chief operating officer, Mark Stewart, claimed the union’s requests might lead to job cuts down the line. In a letter to employees, first reported by Reuters, Stewart accused Fain of “theatrics and personal insults” when the union president hosted a Facebook livestream in which he threw a Stellantis contract offer into the trash.

Disagreements with the UAW aren’t the only workforce-related problems Stellantis has faced this year. In April, the company offered both factory and corporate workers buyouts in an effort to trim its headcount.

Stellantis declined to comment on AEG’s report, but said negotiations with the UAW bargaining committee were “constructive and collaborative.” Ford, GM, the UAW, and AEG did not respond to a request for comment.

General Motors, the largest of the three companies, also criticized the union’s demands. The company said the union’s proposal would limit its ability to adjust to future market conditions.

Meanwhile, Ford has reportedly started preparing salaried, corporate employees for factory jobs, according to the Detroit Free Press. The company has asked engineers and other white-collar workers to take over duties such as filling parts orders and driving forklifts.
 
#177 ·
Stellantis has threatened to move Ram 1500 production to Mexico, union leader says
Miranda Nazzaro
Mon, August 21, 2023


Automaker Stellantis has threatened to move the production of Ram 1500 pickup trucks from suburban Detroit to Mexico, a union leader said Sunday.
“Then it said they want to take their Ram 1500 [internal combustion engine] and send it to Mexico,” said United Auto Workers (UAW) vice president Rich Boyer at a “Sunday Solidarity” rally in Warren, Mich., on Sunday with hundreds of union members.
Boyer, who leads the union’s Stellantis unit, said the automaker had discussed the move during the ongoing contract negotiations between UAW and the Big Three: Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
Negotiations began in early July over pay increases, pensions, career security and concerns over the industry’s shift to electric vehicles (EVs), which require fewer workers to make.

The possibility of moving production of the current Ram 1500 to Mexico fuels automakers’ concerns that the push for EVs will risk their jobs and compensation.
“That’s an American product, it’s going to stay here in America,” Boyer said, calling for the support of union members.
He said Stellantis discussed producing a new all-electric Ram pickup truck at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling, Mich., which currently makes most of the Ram light-duty pickups, according to CNBC.
Boyer called out Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, arguing he does not care about U.S. autoworkers.
“These companies have no respect for us,” Boyer said. “These companies think that you’re overpaid and underworked.”
The Hill has reached out to Stellantis for comment.
The White House has pushed for accelerated electric vehicle production, fueling the concerns of automaker union members. Under a new proposal released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April, two-thirds of new cars could be electric by 2023.
Last week, the Biden Administration released a statement in response to the contract negotiations, arguing a clean energy economy “should provide win-win opportunities for auto companies and unionized workers.”
“Companies should use their process to make sure they enlist their workers in the next chapter of the industry by offering them good paying jobs and a say in the future of their workplace,” the statement said.
The current contract between UAW and the Big Three expires at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14, giving the two parties less than a month to come to an agreement. Boyer told CNBC that the ongoing negotiations have been “slow and confrontational.”
 
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