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ANALYSIS/OPINION: As a 21-year autoworker in Michigan, and a forced dues-paying member of the United Auto Workers for 19 of those years, I have watched union officials waste millions of dollars attempting to organize manufacturing facilities in the South. It has done so as workers in those factories have clearly rejected their efforts, time and again. *** This time, the target is the 6,400-plus workers at Nissan’s facility in Canton, Mississippi, who will have a secret-ballot election August 3-4. Those workers should proceed with caution and pay heed to the long-term consequences of their decision. *** Organizers will make many...

General Motors has put six of its cars under review, including its once breakthrough Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, and is evaluating whether to cancel them in the coming years, according to a report from Reuters. The news comes as sales of cars continue to plummet in the U.S. and as consumers increasingly turn to SUVs and pickups. Besides the Chevrolet Volt hybrid, other vehicles believed to be under consideration for elimination iinclude the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Sonic, according to Reuters. GM spokesman Jim Cain declined to comment on the report. UAW President Dennis...

Disgruntled Tesla employees have reached out to the United Automobile Workers, claiming they work long hours for low pay under unsafe conditions while the electric vehicle company sets aggressive production deadlines. California lawmakers have also questioned Tesla for making its employees sign broad confidentiality agreements, which they say chill worker communications.

Robert Sheridan is a 40-year-old GM worker who voted for Donald Trump. He can barely contain his excitement about Inauguration Day, even though it will be a rough day for him on a personal level. He's one of 2,000 GM factory workers losing their jobs on Friday, the same day that Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president. Sheridan -- and thousands like him -- are desperately hoping Trump will save their jobs. "Please help us in Lordstown," says Sheridan, a soft-spoken Midwesterner with three kids. "This is a great middle class job. You can't find one better...

Local 600 UAW Ford is pushing its membership to cast its vote for crooked Hillary Clinton. They are sending out untrue propaganda about Donald J Trump.

Freepers.... On a tip I went to the UAW's FB page. Read the comments from the Rank and File and their responses to the request to vote for HRC.... Waiting on your feedback. Taildragger

The UAW today endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, citing her support for UAW members, her lifelong commitment to the job security of American families, and her ability to unify and win in November. “Hillary Clinton understands our issues on trade, understands the complexities of multinational economies and supports American workers, their families and communities,” said UAW President Dennis Williams. Now is a time for unity, a time to focus on what lies ahead in November. Bernie Sanders has brought to this campaign a dialogue that has been needed for far too long. He has been, and remains, a great friend...

DETROIT, MICH. – The UAW today endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, citing her support for UAW members, her lifelong commitment to the job security of American families, and her ability to unify and win in November. “Hillary Clinton understands our issues on trade, understands the complexities of multinational economies and supports American workers, their families and communities,” said UAW President Dennis Williams. Now is a time for unity, a time to focus on what lies ahead in November. Bernie Sanders has brought to this campaign a dialogue that has been needed for far too long. He has been, and remains,...

When Donald Trump threatened to “break” the North American Free Trade Agreement, auto industry workers offered up some of the loudest cheers. Mr. Trump easily won the Republican primary in Michigan this month. The state, home base for the American auto industry, also delivered an upset victory to Bernie Sanders, the Democratic anti-NAFTA standard-bearer. But the autoworkers’ animosity is aiming at the wrong target. There are still more than 800,000 jobs in the American auto sector. And there is a good case to be made that without NAFTA, there might not be much left of Detroit at all. “Without the...

"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me." That is a cliché that investors should keep in mind if they are considering buying into General Motors' latest debt offering. In fact, holders of GM common stock should also assess the growing similarity that New GM has with the bankrupted Old GM. GM announced last week that it will be offering an estimated $2 billion of unsecured debt to help prop up underfunded pensions with additional proceeds used for general business purposes. The move follows a contradictory continuing dialogue that proclaims the company is so cash...

President Barack Obama jokingly told an audience at the United Autoworkers-General Motors Center for Human Resources in Detroit on Wednesday that next year he must give up "the Beast"--which is the nickname for the $1.5 million limousine the Secret Service chauffeurs the president around in. [...] According to Autoweek, the Beast gets only 3.7 miles to the gallon. ...

A Michigan union fired back at workers who dropped off the membership rolls by urging its members to isolate them at work. Jeff Hagler, president at UAW Local 412 in Warren, Mich., sent out a newsletter to about 3,000 autoworkers who belong to the union in December. The letter includes a list of 43 mostly female workers who opted out of membership, as well as advice on how they should be treated in the workplace. "They have elected to quit paying union dues, but are still benefitting by continued representation by the union. Whether we feel this is fair or...

Local 412 of the United Auto Workers has placed a spotlight on employees who have chosen to exercise their right to not support the union financially under Michigan’s right-to-work law. In a recent newsletter, the local urges co-workers not to share “tools, knowledge or support” with individuals who chose not to pay union dues. It then lists the names of the employees to be shunned. “I hope there is one thing we can all take from this,” the newsletter reads. “Please do not share any tools, knowledge or support for any of these employees who choose not to pay their...

WASHINGTON, DC – Jerry Hood, former Special Assistant on Energy, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, today issued the following statement: “John Kerry and John Edwards have forgotten their records of supporting job-killing extreme environmental regulations, but the union workers whose jobs he put on the line won’t be as forgiving. Kerry’s 2002 proposal to raise CAFE standards would have destroyed as many as 100,000 jobs and was opposed by both the UAW and the AFL-CIO for facilitating outsourcing. Their Senatorial and Presidential policies are endangering the welfare of the American Worker, and the impact of those policies would be felt nowhere...

The Obama Administration's Justice Department is now suing Volkswagen for "up to $90 billion for allegedly violating environmental law." Politically-favored General Motors was fined $900 million, or 1% of that amount, for covering up an ignition switch defect that led to the deaths of at least 124 people. At last count, the number of people who lost their lives as a result of emissions' tampering by VW stood at zero. Meanwhile, the GM board unanimoulsy elected CEO Mary Barra as its Chairman, demonstrating that it is still not independent of the White House political operation, even years after the...

hen did unions cross the line from being workers who want to collectively negotiate with their employers to becoming gangs that threaten non-members? Or has it always been that way? In Michigan, which has moved on from being a hard union state to one where workers have a choice about joining, a United Auto Workers chapter has put out a hit list of nonmembers it believes deserve intimidation. Local 412, based in Warren, Mich., suggests that its members refuse to "share any tools, knowledge or support" with "any of these employees who choose not to pay their fair share."

The United Auto Workers (UAW), one of the largest unions in the United States, has struck down a vote by a local chapter to join the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. UAW Local 2865, which represents student workers on University of California campuses, had voted last year to join the BDS movement. The UAW International Executive Board reversed that on Tuesday, stating its “unanimous belief” that BDS “espouses discrimination and vilification against Israelis and UAW members who are of Jewish lineage.” Informed Grads, a University of California student group whose appeal of the boycott resolution was...

Ford workers narrowly approved a new four-year contract, wrapping up five months of negotiations between the United Auto Workers union and Detroit automakers. The UAW said late Friday that Ford's contract passed with a 51.4-percent vote. The agreement covers 53,000 U.S. hourly workers at 22 plants. ...

Germany's largest trade union is opening a joint office with the United Auto Workers in Tennessee to promote labor issues at German automakers and suppliers in the southern United States. Frankfurt-based IG Metall estimates that 100,000 people work for German-owned automotive companies in the U.S. Most of those workers aren't represented by unions, unlike at their counterparts at plants in Germany. ...

Another Michigan union has used its newsletter to post the names of employees who have chosen to exercise their right to not have to financially support a union as a condition of employment. Workers say the union is bullying them and creating a hostile work environment. This time, it’s UAW Local 600 that’s publishing the names of employees who chose to opt out of belonging and paying dues to the union. Bob Brezovsky, president of the UAW’s Tool & Die Unit, wrote in the union's online publication: “The employees listed below have chosen not to pay union dues any more...