The outcome of the GM vote is uncertain, despite the UAW’s celebrations of victories last month on many key demands that led to six weeks of targeted walkouts against GM, Ford and Stellantis.
The Energy Department estimates demand for lithium batteries will increase up to 10 times by 2030.
The automaker, formed in the 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot of France, said it is taking the action “to protect our operations and the company.”
Employees at Honda’s Indiana Auto Plant in Greensburg are among those who will qualify for raises.
Stellantis, which has been slow to introduce fully electric vehicles in the U.S., is so confident in the new powertrain’s appeal that it plans to offer it in other vehicles.
The agreements provide a blueprint for which vehicles Stellantis, Ford and General Motors intend to build in the coming years and where they will do so.
Subaru of Indiana Automotive is the only Subaru manufacturing facility outside Japan, and it accounts for about half of all Subaru vehicles sold in North America.
Local union leaders from across the country at Jeep maker Stellantis voted unanimously on Thursday to send the contract to members for a vote. General Motors local leaders will meet on Friday.
General Motors, Ford and Stellantis are facing sharply higher labor costs, estimated by some analysts at exceeding $1 billion per year, per company.
The contract with General Motors is similar to those reached by Ford and Stellantis, but there are some differences.
GM is likely to be the next company to settle because it has agreed to pull new electric vehicle battery factories into the UAW’s national contract, which essentially unionizes them.
The four-year deal, which still has to be approved by 57,000 union members at Ford, could set the pattern for agreements with General Motors and Stellantis.
Federal prosecutors have expanded investigations into Tesla beyond the electric vehicle maker’s partially automated driving systems, and they have issued subpoenas for information instead of simply requesting it, the company disclosed Monday.
About 40,800 workers are now on strike against all three automakers. The strikes, now in their sixth week, cover seven assembly plants and 38 parts warehouses.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said Friday that while Detroit’s automakers have increased their wage and benefit offers, he believes the union can gain more if it holds out longer in contract talks.
In a rare speech during contract talks in the company’s hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford said high labor costs could limit spending to develop new vehicles and invest in factories.
UAW President Shawn Fain told workers in a live video appearance that the companies started gaming the system, waiting until Fridays to make progress in bargaining.
The apparently widening labor rift indicates that Ford and the UAW may be in for a lengthy strike that could cost the company and workers billions of dollars.
The surprise move at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday took down the largest and most profitable Ford plant in the world. The sprawling factory makes pricey heavy-duty F-Series pickup trucks and large Ford and Lincoln SUVs.
The UAW contends that the layoffs are unjustified and were imposed as part of the companies’ pressure campaign to persuade union members to accept less favorable terms in negotiations with automakers.
