UAW strike enters second month, a driving update

I foreshadowed today's post at the end of Seth Meyers takes a closer look at Trump's gag order and Jim Jordan running for Speaker.

I haven't mentioned the UAW strike since Meyers' and Colbert's guests on strikes and labor issues. I plan on posting a driving update tomorrow, so it will be the perfect opportunity to do so. After all, both are about cars.

I begin with WDIV/Click On Detroit reporting UAW strike against Detroit 3 could have potential long-term consequences.

Ford chairman Bill Ford sent a warning to the United Auto Workers Monday and its President Shawn Fain. He said unless the company and the union get together on a contract, the industry could suffer and its future put in doubt.

Ford is preaching (domestic) industry solidarity, Fain is preaching class solidarity. Those could potentially be working in parallel, but right now they are at right angles to each other.

WDIV reported on decisions GM and Stellantis, formerly Chrysler, made in UAW strike: Week 5 sees both friction and hopefulness, Big Three layoffs.

The UAW has yet to reach a deal with any of Detroit’s Big Three automakers, though contract talks that started in July have continued since the historic strike was initiated one month ago.

I tell my students how computerized cars are every semester and the auto companies going to the Computer Electronics Show (CES) serves as an example of that. That Stellantis is not going next year is a sign of how severe the effects of the strike have become. Speaking of which, Fox 2 Detroit mentioned that the auto industry has already lost $8 billion from the strike in As UAW strike marches on, smaller auto suppliers may be left behind.

Marick Masters, a Wayne State University business professor, says the small suppliers make the plastic and metal parts that go into the cars we love. And right now, they risk running out of money.

A partial but escalating strike has cost the big three U.S. automakers $8 billion in just one month, while two complete strikes cost the entertainment industry nearly $6 billion over five-and-one-half months. The comparison shows that manufacturing is more important to the economy, even though entertainment is more fun to write about.

That's the current snapshot of the big picture involving cars. Follow over the jump for my personal driving update.

UAW goes on strike against Detroit's Big Three automakers

I wrote "the threat of an auto workers strike is a local story with national implications" on Labor Day. That strike has begun, as WDIV reported UAW launches historic strike against Detroit's Big Three automakers.

For the first time in history, the United Auto Workers union has called for a simultaneous strike at each of Detroit’s Big Three automakers after the groups failed to come to an agreement before this year’s contract deadline.

Two things impressed me, the resolve of the strikers and the big show the automakers made that they have been negotiating and making what they see as good offers. The first compares well with SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes; the writers and actors have shown great resolve on the picket lines. The second is a welcome contrast to the studios, who have made only token efforts to offer acceptable contracts. The automakers want to keep making cars and trucks while keeping their workforce satisfied. The studios seem to want to starve the writers and actors into submission. You can tell which industry's management I like better.

CNBC Television compared the UAW strike to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in UAW members go on strike at three key auto plants after deal deadline passes.

CNBC's Phil LeBeau joins 'Squawk Box' with the latest news.

Phil LeBeau noted the strikers' resolve as well along with the popular support for the strike. Both of those bode well for the UAW. They also discussed the transition to EVs, which is going more slowly than hoped, and how the strike is likely to impede that technological change even more. I'm not happy about that, as I'm in favor of EVs. However, sustainability is a balancing act, which is why I wrote "May people not suffer so that the planet and profit thrive" on Labor Day. Here's to maintaining that balance.

There will be no negotiations until Monday, so I plan on returning to the strike next week. Until then, stay tuned for more posts about News and Documentary Emmy Awards over the weekend.

The state of UAW negotiations for Labor Day 2023

Happy Labor Day! Today's big labor news isn't about either the SAG-AFTRA or WGA strikes. Instead, it's about the possibility of a UAW strike. This is a blog based in metro Detroit, the Motor City, and the threat of an auto workers strike is a local story with national implications.

I begin with Fox 2 Detroit reporting UAW rejects offer by Ford, files unfair labor charges against GM, Stellantis on Friday.

The United Auto Workers are holding firm with existing Big 3 deals set to expire in two weeks. The UAW also filed unfair labor practice charges against General Motors and Stellantis.

Five billion in losses from a ten-day strike? Yikes! That rivals what the actors and writers striking most of the summer did to the southern California economy.

Fox 2 Detroit did a good job of presenting the union viewpoint with some balance from management. The next day, WTOL 11 uploaded The clock is ticking for UAW negotiations with Big Three, which offered different labor perspectives and added more from management.

The United Auto Workers' contract with the Big Three is set to expire Sept. 14.

I shouldn't be surprised that these negotiations are a reaction to the concessions made during GM's bankruptcy, which also affected Chrysler, now Stellantis. All those profits since then have made the UAW want to take those concessions back.

Both Fox 2 and WTOL 11 brought up the transition to electric vehicles as an issue in the contract talks. Yahoo Finance explored that in United Auto Workers negotiations: Why the shift to EVs is such a big deal to workers.

United Auto Workers' members have authorized a strike in case negotiations with the Big Three U.S. automakers (GM, F, STLA) fail. Autolist Editor-in-Chief David Undercoffler spoke with Yahoo Finance Live anchor Akiko Fujita about the significant pay differences between a union and non-union job in a comparable role. "EVs are much simpler to manufacture by several orders of magnitude," Undercoffler says, adding that the UAW is likely looking to the future in a bid to help protect their members' jobs. Also, Burnes Center for Social Change Senior Fellow Seth Harris joined the conversation saying the "critical issue" in the transition to EV manufacturing will be wages, with workers wanting to ensure they will still get the "same, quality wages in an electric vehicle battery plant that they were earning when they were helping to build internal combustion engine vehicles."

Anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time knows I'm in favor of electric vehicles. I drive a Prius, for starters. While I enjoyed hearing that assembling electric vehicles is simpler than putting together internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles — there are fewer moving parts in electric power plants and transmissions — I hadn't considered that would mean less labor in building cars and light trucks. On the one hand, it's always a good day when I learn something new, especially a point in favor of something I support already. On the other, it serves as an example of two of Commoner's Laws, everything is connected to everything else and there is no free lunch. May people not suffer so that the planet and profit thrive.

I plan on updating the strikes in Hollywood tomorrow, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the holiday while remembering the reason it exists.

Fiat Chrysler uses the power of The Force to sell cars

For today's Sunday Entertainment entry, I'm presenting what passes for a local angle on the marketing blitz for "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens."  The Detroit Free Press had the story back in August: Fiat Chrysler to be part of Star Wars marketing force.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will be part of the marketing force behind the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" movie that opens in December.

The automaker, known for partnering with movie studios, stars and musicians, is one of seven global companies that will be part of "an expansive, historic promotional campaign," to support the movie.

Lucasfilm identified the partners Thursday. Others include Covergirl & Max Factor, Duracell, General Mills, Hewlett Packard, Subway and Verizon...

"Our partners have all delivered original, stand-out campaigns that capture the familiar fun and excitement of our galaxy far, far away that we hope will delight fans as they get ready to experience "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Lucasfilm said in a release..."All of the partnerships strategically complement the tempo and tone of the film's overall marketing campaign."

I was very tempted to write that Fiat Chrysler was harnessing the power of the Schwartz to sell cars, but anyone who has seen "Spaceballs" knows that merchandising is the power of the The Schwartz, not marketing.  Watch Yogurt explain.

Yogurt (Mel Brooks) explains where the real money from the movie is made: merchandising!

The cars being advertised are not themselves merchandising, so the power of The Schartz is not with Fiat Chrysler.*

Follow over the jump for more from the Detroit Free Press along with five video ads from the campaign.

NYTimes and Reuters on NAIAS

WXYZ has posted several videos a day since the two I included in Preparations for NAIAS 2014 have begun and I found the NAIAS Detroit channel, so if I wanted to post entries using nothing but local officially sourced videos, I could.  However, I like to get an outside perspective and I got two yesterday from major news outlets, the New York Times and Reuters.  First, the N.Y. Times, which concentrated on the changes to the U.S. auto industry using the auto show as a backdrop and excuse in Big Changes for the Big 3 - Detroit Auto Show 2014.

The Detroit auto show is ready to shine a light on developments for American automakers. As General Motors shed government ownership and Ford gambled on a redesign, Chrysler took on an Italian accent.

Reuters took a more conventional look at the show itself in Big, sexy power Detroit Auto show.

American auto companies are choosing brawn over brains at the 25th Detroit Auto Show with a Chevy Corvette and Silverado truck grabbing top honors as U.S. auto sales head into a five-year recovery. Conway G. Gittens reports.

A third major outside news source, CNN Money, is also covering NAIAS, but they're doing reports more like WXYZ's, so I'll use them for a change of pace, much like I used Detroit News during Dream Cruise last year.  WOOD-TV is also covering NAIAS, and I'll include their videos to show their perspective on the event.  Looks like I'm not going to run out of things to blog about any time soon.

Green Cars for Earth Day

WXYZ featured the greenest cars built by U.S. manufacturers, one each from Ford, Chrysler, and G.M., on Earth Day.  The station  began its coverage with the Ford Focus Energi.

We look at the Ford Focus Energi as part of our Green Cars of Detroit series.

The next car featured was the Dodge Dart.

We continue our Green Cars of Detroit series with a look at the Dodge Dart.

WXYZ concluded with the Chevy Cruze Diesel.


For more green cars, surf over to The 10 Best Green Cars, only one of which, the Ford Energi, is among the three shown in the videos above.

As I say over at Kunstler's blog, Happy Motoring--for now--from Detroit!