UPDATE: Major automakers agree to close all factories
The United Auto Workers union has been pushing for factories to close because workers are fearful of coming into contact with the coronavirus.
Automakers
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Honda shutting down plants for a week due to coronavirus
The closures involve six plants in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including the company’s Indiana plant in Greensburg.
Subaru to expand Lafayette plant, add up to 350 jobs
The automaker says it will invest $158 million to build a new service parts facility and add a transmission assembly shop. The 4.7-million-square-foot plant produces about 410,000 vehicles each year.
Automakers in China gradually reopen after virus shutdown
Local officials have orders from the ruling Communist Party to get businesses functioning again while still enforcing anti-disease curbs that have shut down much of the world’s second-largest economy.
GM scrambles to shield U.S. plants from virus disruption
A United Auto Workers union member said the threat of parts shortages at GM facilities is growing, but the automaker doesn’t expect to have to pause production at plants in Indiana, Michigan and Texas, according to spokesman.
Startup’s solution to back pain gaining traction with auto industry
Comfort Motion Global has five patents on a software-based system that uses algorithms to make periodic micro adjustments to automobile seats.
Holcomb announces $400M Fiat-Chrysler investment, teacher pay plan in speech
According to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s prepared remarks, Fiat-Chrysler will invest $400 million in its Kokomo facility and hinted that an announcement will be made on Friday from Toyota in Princeton.
Ford to add 3,000 jobs in the Detroit area, invest $1.45B
Ford needs to make the investment in new products in an effort to increase market share and prepare for a shift to new propulsion and autonomous vehicle technologies.
UAW workers ratify new contract with Fiat Chrysler
The ratification means the United Auto Workers union has settled with all three Detroit automakers. Fiat Chrysler has a workforce of 8,156 in Indiana at four plants in Kokomo and one plant in Tipton.
Fiat Chrysler-PSA deal likely to mean fewer brands, models
CEO Carlos Tavares, who used to run Nissan in the Americas and knows the U.S. market well, will not shy away from trimming unprofitable models and brands.
Fiat Chrysler, Peugeot to create world’s fourth-biggest carmaker
The deal is expected to give the merged firm enough scale to confront big shifts in the auto industry, including the race to develop electric cars and driverless technologies. And with 2,640 dealers across the U.S., Fiat Chrysler would have a ready distribution network for Peugeot’s lines of city-friendly cars, family sedans and SUVs.
Ford, auto workers union reach tentative contract agreement
The agreement likely will mirror the pact approved last week by General Motors workers after a 40-day strike.
Automakers side with Trump in legal fight with California
General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and many others in the auto industry are backing the Trump administration in a lawsuit over whether California has the right to set its own greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards.
GM strike finally ends as UAW members approve new contract
The deal, which includes modest improvements in pay for new employees and promises that the company will bring full-time temporary workers on permanently, passed this week after being voted on by GM’s 47,000 workers.
Autoworkers from closed plants prepared to fight new GM contract
Some workers question why union leaders agreed to let General Motors close three factories, wondering if corruption inside the UAW influenced the decision to side with the company.
GM workers to stay on picket line until vote on new contract
Details on the four-year pact were posted Thursday on the UAW website as factory level union officials met to decide if they’ll approve the deal. Workers went on strike Sept. 16, crippling the company’s U.S. production and costing it an estimated $2 billion.
GM reaches tentative deal with UAW that could end strike
The deal was hammered out after months of bargaining but won’t bring an immediate end to the strike by 49,000 hourly workers. They will likely stay on the picket lines for at least two more days as two union committees vote on the deal, after which the members will have to approve.
GM CEO Barra joins talks, signaling deal to end strike might be near
The appearance of two key executives is a strong sign that bargainers are closing in on a contract agreement that would end the strike, which began on Sept. 16.
Wages, pensions, plant investments still issues in GM strike
With the strike by factory workers against General Motors in its 29th day, there are signs that negotiators may be moving toward an agreement.
GM workers worry about paying bills as strike continues
Nearly four weeks into the United Auto Workers’ strike against General Motors, employees are starting to feel the pinch of going without their regular paychecks.