CHATTANOOGA, TN—The United Auto Workers union has gained a significant first victory at a foreign-owned automaker in the South. Skilled-trades workers at Volkswagen’s assembly plant here voted 108-44 to have the UAW negotiate their collective bargaining agreements.
JACKSON, MS—The National Labor Relations Board is charging Nissan Motor Co. and a contract worker agency with violating workers’ rights at the company’s assembly plants in Mississippi and Tennessee. Filed Monday, the charges claim Nissan’s uniform policy illegally stifles workers’ right to wear pro-union or anti-union clothing.
DETROIT—General Motors will sell a vehicle made in China in the United States next year, becoming the first major U.S. automaker to do so. The move was quickly denounced by the UAW, which branded it “a slap in the face” and called for an immediate rethink.
On Oct. 5, the United States and 11 other countries finalized the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade agreement after seven years of negotiations.
SAGINAW, MI—Fresh off its newly ratified labor contracts with the Detroit 3 automakers, the UAW has reached a tentative deal with steering parts supplier Nexteer Automotive.
LOUISVILLE, KY—Ford is planning to invest $1.3 billion in its assembly plant here to support the launch of its new F-Series Super Duty trucks. The company will build a new body shop, as well as upgrade and retool the plant to facilitate production of the trucks.
WOLFSBURG, Germany—Volkswagen has started rolling out 3D smart glasses as standard equipment at its assembly plant here. Logistics personnel will use the glasses on a voluntary basis for order picking.
YORK, PA—Employees at Harley-Davidson’s assembly plant here have worked out a new labor agreement with the company. Represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 175, the 970 employees ratified a new deal through 2022, which takes effect Feb. 1, 2016.
DETROIT—Workers at Ford narrowly ratified the company’s four-year labor deal with the UAW, the labor union announced late Friday. Final results showed that members voted to ratify by a 51.4 percent majority after a last-minute push by union leaders put the contract over the top at the company’s giant Rouge manufacturing complex in Dearborn, MI.
PESQUERIA, Mexico—Quality and production runs are under way at Kia’s new vehicle assembly plant here, which is considered 95 percent completed. Construction and tooling of the $3 billion plant was completed in just 13 months. The factory should have an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles.