August 25th, 2011 | Huffington Post
On a recent rainy morning, community leaders gathered under umbrellas in front of the local General Motors plant to commemorate a remarkable turnaround: Three years after descending into a financial hole that resulted in a taxpayer bailout, GM was back. The Chevy Cruze, produced here, had become one of America’s best-selling passenger vehicles. Among union officials and GM management, traditional enmity had given way to conviviality, a spirit both sides were celebrating as the key to future prosperity.
August 24th, 2011 | Louisville Courier-Journal
For three years, John Carathers and his wife have lived in a 39-foot camper while he worked at a Ford plant in Missouri, assembling the Escape compact sports utility vehicle. He’s avoided putting down roots near Ford’s Kansas City-area plant in hopes that he could one day transfer to the Louisville Assembly Plant — living and working closer to his children and grandchildren in Nashville.
August 24th, 2011 | Detroit News
The most remarkable thing about this year’s contract negotiations between the Detroit’s Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers is how unremarkable they are. There has been none of the usual drama, and both sides seem determined to keep it that way.
August 24th, 2011 | Bloomberg
Ford Motor Co. (F) faces a Sept. 15 hearing on a complaint by the United Auto Workers that salaried employees didn’t sacrifice as much as hourly workers, said two people familiar with the matter. The hearing before an independent arbitrator is scheduled for the day after Ford’s contract expires with its 41,000 U.S. hourly workers, said the people, who asked not to be identified revealing details of the grievance process.
August 23rd, 2011 | Wall Street Journal
An unusual pairing of major auto makers is seeking to develop a gas-electric hybrid system for light trucks and sport-utility vehicles, a move to share the cost of new technology as both work to achieve the latest U.S. fuel-economy targets set by the Obama administration. Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding on the collaboration, with a formal agreement expected to be signed next year.
