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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowUnited Auto Workers union members went on strike Saturday at the Stellantis casting plant in Indiana, citing health and safety issues including the company’s alleged refusal to repair and replace the plant’s air conditioning and heating systems.
The 35-acre plant in Kokomo makes parts used in the power trains of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM vehicles, and a long-term strike could affect vehicle assembly lines across North America.
Stellantis says production had not been scheduled for this weekend and it hoped to resume negotiations as soon as possible on a contract with striking UAW Local 1166.
In a statement, Stellantis said it was committed “to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all employees. After bargaining in good faith for two days and presenting an offer we believed addressed the union’s concerns, we are disappointed by the UAW’s decision to walk out.”
The 1,200-worker plant, Kokomo Casting, is the world’s largest die cast facility, according to Stellantis. It makes aluminum parts for components including transmissions and engine blocks.
The UAW local complained in a statement that Stellantis “claims it has no money to meet its membership’s basic needss—including providing clean uniforms—while ”making record profits and investing billions in a new battery plant across the street.”
In May, Stellantis announced a $2.5 billion joint venture with Samsung to build an electric vehicle battery factory in Kokomo that is to employ 1,400 workers.
UAW local president David Willis did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. A person who answered the phone at union offices said he was preparing for a resumption in negotiations.
The casting plant is to be retooled to produce engine blocks for hybrid-electric vehicles.
Stellantis, formed last year with the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA Peugeot, had said it would build two electric vehicle battery factories in North America. The other is slated for Windsor, Ontario.
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Unions…… ugh.
Safe working environments……ugh.
The cost of unions are slowly out weighing the benefits. The numbers don’t lie.
Especially when the Convicted and sentenced upper UAW leadership gets out of prison early for stealing Millions and millions from the membership coffers!
Huh? There has been a direct correlation between union-busting and the stagnation of wage growth and decline in working conditions. De-unionization of industries has led to an average hourly median wage loss of $2.49 per hour, per employee. Roughly 11% of the workforce is covered by a union, compared to 31% in 1979. Declines in unions have made things worse for the average American, not better.
A T. – Yeah you can say hourly wage loss of $2.50 per hour but factor in the cost to the employee and it’s a closer wash. Fact is unions don’t provide the benefits they used too. The VALUE of a union shop is gone. Our factory jobs have shifted. We’re not hiring drones to do mundane tasks. Companies need educated employees controlling advanced robots and high tech equipment.
How about EV production? They have literally 75% less moving parts. How does that help unions in the future? Hint hint it doesn’t.