by Joseph Szczesny | May 8, 2020
This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Walter Reuther, the legendary leader of the United Auto Workers, who built the union into a significant force in American life. Reuther’s death in May 1970 came at a tumultuous time. The four students had been...
by Michael Strong | May 6, 2020
Ford is sending out its first shipment of respirators, designed in-house with 3M, to health-care workers in Seattle fighting COVID-19. After pledging to help, Ford partnered with 3M to develop and produce the powered air-purifying respirators, or PAPRs, using only...
by Michael Strong | May 5, 2020
The United Auto Workers said it will continue to press Detroit’s automakers about safety measures even as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced plans to resume production the week starting May 18. FCA CEO Mike Manley made the announcement Tuesday during the company’s...
by Joseph Szczesny | May 4, 2020
With automakers looking for ways to restart production, the United Auto Workers said Thursday said it wants to see more proof that workers on the industry’s assembly lines will be protected before giving it approval to any kind of back-to-work order. “We continue to...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Apr 30, 2020
When Ford Motor Co. restarts its U.S. manufacturing operations on May 18, company officials expect what they’ve described as a “benchmark playbook” will ensure that workers can count on being safe despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Senior Ford officials...
by Michael Strong | Apr 28, 2020
Ford Motor Co. reported a first quarter net loss of $2 billion as the automaker – like many others – grappled with the impact of global coronavirus pandemic, noting it had a negative impact of “at least” $2 billion during the period. The company’s...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Apr 28, 2020
(This story has been updated to show Honda is now set to open its U.S. plants on May 11.) Yet again, Detroit’s Big Three automakers are planning to push back their launch of production as the country slowly begins to emerge from the lockdown created by the coronavirus...
by Joseph Szczesny | Apr 24, 2020
General Motors is taking some tentative steps to reopen its North American plants, recalling the skilled trades and management employees they need to return to work next week to help prepare to restart production. In a message to affected UAW union members, the...
by Michael Strong | Apr 18, 2020
General Motors, criticized by President Donald Trump for taking too long in his eyes to begin production of ventilators, delivered the first round of those aforementioned medical devices Friday to Chicago-area hospitals. The automaker, which is partnering with...
by Paul A. Eisenstein | Apr 13, 2020
Ford Motor Co. and 3M are ramping up their ad hoc partnership in a race to fill the shortage of critical medical gear needed to address the coronavirus pandemic, including respirators, masks and face shields. Ford will add production of medical gowns, officials said...
by Michael Strong | Apr 8, 2020
As dozens of its employees train at its Kokomo, Indiana plant to build much-needed ventilators, General Motors appears to be on the right side of the Trump administration this week, securing a $489.4 million contract to supply 30,000 of the devices. The U.S....
by Joseph Szczesny | Apr 7, 2020
Ruben Burks, a union pioneer and the first African American to serve as the United Auto Workers’ Secretary-Treasurer, the organization’s second-highest office, has died. A lifelong resident of Flint Michigan, the soft-spoken Burks was 86. He passed due to...
