Labor Relations | Center for Automotive Research

The Ramifications of the UAW’s Victory at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee Assembly Plant

Carolyn Mozheev — Thu, 23 May 2024 17:30:30 +0000

The Ramifications of the UAW’s Victory at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee Assembly Plant

White Paper

This white paper examines the implications of the UAW’s historic unionization vote at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

How the UAW victory could reshape the landscape of auto manufacturing.
Key challenges in negotiating a labor contract that benefits both workers and Volkswagen.
An analysis of wage disparities between the Chattanooga plant and the Detroit Three.
The potential impact on production costs and future investment in the Chattanooga plant.

Gain valuable insights into the future of the U.S. auto industry with this analysis.

Revision note: An earlier version of the white paper discussed temporary workforce wages. According to a Volkswagen Group of America spokesperson, Volkswagen does not employ a temporary workforce. Therefore, comparing the wages of part-time/temporary workers between VW Chattanooga and the Detroit Three plants is irrelevant to the total labor cost analysis.

UAW’s Next Frontier: Mercedes-Benz in Alabama – White Paper

Carolyn Mozheev — Thu, 09 May 2024 20:15:43 +0000

UAW’s Next Frontier: Mercedes-Benz in Alabama

White Paper

This white paper examines the upcoming unionization vote at the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, scheduled for May 13-17, 2024. The paper explores the significance of this vote for both the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Mercedes-Benz, considering the recent changes within the UAW and the potential impact on labor relations in the South.

Key points explored in the white paper:

The UAW’s recent leadership changes and renewed focus on organizing.
Mercedes-Benz’s Tuscaloosa plant as a strategic asset and its current labor practices.
Potential benefits and challenges of unionization for both the UAW and Mercedes-Benz.
The broader implications of the vote for the future of labor relations in the U.S. automotive industry.

Contribution of the Automotive Industry to the Economies of All Fifty States and the United States

boxcar-admin — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Six years after the worst recession since the 1930s, the American economy is demonstrating many signs of strengthening, and the auto industry is helping drive that recovery. Despite recent economic hardships, auto manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers employ over 1.5 million people and directly contribute to the creation of another 5.7 million jobs. In total, the auto industry supports 7.25 million private sector jobs, almost $500 billion in annual compensation, and nearly $65 billion in personal tax revenues. In this paper, the authors touch on the many factors that support the auto industry’s importance and standing in the national economy, along with an estimate of the industry’s employment and economic contribution to the national economy and to each of the 50 states.

CAR Research Memorandum: Economic Contribution of General Motors’ Orion Assembly, Pontiac Metal Stamping, and Spring Hill Assembly Manufacturing Plants

boxcar-admin — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 05:00:00 +0000

General Motors’ decision to restart three idled manufacturing plants in the United States not only offset the company’s captive imports of small cars and cross-utility vehicles, but also added just over 3,000 direct jobs at the company in 2013. The UAW-GM agreement to restart production at these three plants in 2011 and 2012 also supported nearly 35,600 additional indirect and spin-off jobs in the U.S. economy (38,600). Further, employment at the three manufacturing facilities is forecast to grow more than 11 percent in 2014, yielding an estimated total employment impact of 39,700 in the current calendar year. These results are included in the following research memorandum that quantifies the economic contribution of GM’s manufacturing activity at three plants located in Michigan and Tennessee. The memorandum is part one of a two-part analysis of the economic contribution of General Motors in the United States and the ten U.S. states in which the company manufactures vehicles, parts, and components. The results are final for the current data provided for the three plants included in this analysis.

Economic Contribution of the Ford Motor Company Michigan Assembly Plant to the Michigan Economy

boxcar-admin — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Michigan has a rich legacy of automotive assets that are a bedrock of the state’s economy. This report examines the extensive supply chain that supports one assembly plant – Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant (MAP) in Wayne County, Michigan. This plant employs 5,000 people building the latest in fuel efficient vehicles, and it also supports another 19,000 jobs in the state’s economy (as well as another 24,000 in the rest of the nation). Many of these jobs are in small manufacturing firms that supply parts and services to the plant. Fully one-third of MAP’s $3 billion in annual purchases of parts and materials is spent in Michigan.

Further, MAP represents the latest in advanced manufacturing with flexible assembly lines capable of manufacturing different vehicle models with varying configurations. With both the technology that is built into vehicles and the technology used in this advanced manufacturing plant, MAP creates new demands for innovation, research and development and high technology employment.

2011 Detroit 3-UAW Labor Contract Negotiations

boxcar-admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0000

CAR Breakfast Briefing presentation on the Detroit 3–UAW Labor Contract Negotiations that took place at Schoolcraft Community College, Livonia, Michigan on November 29, 2011.

The Meaning of the 2003 UAW-Automotive Pattern Agreement

boxcar-admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 04:00:00 +0000

This report first reviews the general economic environment that led into the 2003 negotiations. A review of the general terms of the agreement is then presented. This review is followed by two scenario forecasts of the results of the agreement in terms of Big Five UAW employment and future vehicle labor cost. Finally, a 2003 estimate of labor cost per vehicle for the Big Three and the international producers is shown.

A Research Report for the Auto Industry of the Future Program. Sponsored by Ernst & Young Global Automotive Center