Post by account_disabled on Feb 22, 2024 2:48:49 GMT -7
Detroit is on strike. Since last Friday, the United Auto Workers of America, which represents about 40 percent of all industry employees in the U.S., is taking on the “big three” automakers: GM, Ford and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) with the goal of bringing electric vehicle workers under the union banner. Strikes in the automotive industry are always important, but this one is especially important. Unions aren't just fighting for a few more dollars. This battle may determine not only the future of the clean energy transition in the United States, but also potentially the outcome of the 2024 presidential election and the future of the Democratic Party. It is a worthy battle, but also very, very risky. The first point to consider is how and where electric vehicles are manufactured.
While President Joe Biden's initial executive order on climate change and the climate stimulus bill that first passed the House of Representatives were explicitly pro-union, the wording of the final Inflation Pakistan Phone Number Reduction Act ( which, despite its name, is a climate bill) supported “domestic labor” rather than stipulating the use of union labor. This change was not solely due to the reaction of Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator from West Virginia who played a key role in ensuring the passage of the IRA. It was also the result of strong pressure from foreign multinationals, many of which want to use the southern United States (where many new electric vehicle jobs are headed, as labor and environmental standards tend to be lower in these states) as, in fact, your own personal business.
Porcelain. The fact that this race to the bottom is happening on US soil is one of the reasons behind the strike. The UAW wants to ensure that workers who make electric batteries and other components of new electric vehicles get union benefits. In some ways, this is a life or death battle for the union. The transition to electric vehicles is already expected to significantly reduce the number of jobs in the automotive sector in the short term, as the same number of components and therefore workers are simply not needed on an assembly line as to manufacture internal combustion cars. engines. Ford CEO Jim Farley told the Financial Times in 2022 that the transition to electric vehicles could require 40 percent fewer workers. Some people—even some who promote workers' interests—might say.
While President Joe Biden's initial executive order on climate change and the climate stimulus bill that first passed the House of Representatives were explicitly pro-union, the wording of the final Inflation Pakistan Phone Number Reduction Act ( which, despite its name, is a climate bill) supported “domestic labor” rather than stipulating the use of union labor. This change was not solely due to the reaction of Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator from West Virginia who played a key role in ensuring the passage of the IRA. It was also the result of strong pressure from foreign multinationals, many of which want to use the southern United States (where many new electric vehicle jobs are headed, as labor and environmental standards tend to be lower in these states) as, in fact, your own personal business.
Porcelain. The fact that this race to the bottom is happening on US soil is one of the reasons behind the strike. The UAW wants to ensure that workers who make electric batteries and other components of new electric vehicles get union benefits. In some ways, this is a life or death battle for the union. The transition to electric vehicles is already expected to significantly reduce the number of jobs in the automotive sector in the short term, as the same number of components and therefore workers are simply not needed on an assembly line as to manufacture internal combustion cars. engines. Ford CEO Jim Farley told the Financial Times in 2022 that the transition to electric vehicles could require 40 percent fewer workers. Some people—even some who promote workers' interests—might say.