Mexican Media Brands
UAW Cites Jobs Threat in Ford’s EV Plans
The United Auto Workers union tells Reuters it has begun discussions with Ford Motor Co. about averting layoffs as the carmaker ramps up its plans for electric vehicles.
#labor #workforcedevelopment #hybrid
Share
The United Auto Workers union tells Reuters it has begun discussions with Ford Motor Co. about averting layoffs as the carmaker ramps up its plans for electric vehicles.
On Tuesday CEO Jim Hackett told investors that EVs would cut “hours per unit” assembly time by 30%. Faster assembly rates, made possible by the simpler nature of electric powertrains, equates to fewer factory workers. Hackett says the company will debut 20 battery or fuel cell electric vehicles worldwide by 2023.
UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles, who heads the union’s Ford department, tells Reuters that the company has agreed to involve workers in discussions about how job needs will change as the company electrifies more models.
The same issues will apply to all other carmakers that have declared plans to hike EV production dramatically in five years. Plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars currently are more expensive to make, mainly because of the current high cost of their batteries.
Daimler AG, for one, warned last month that it might offset those costs by outsourcing more production work to suppliers. The company is planning to add more than 50 electrified models by 2022.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On a Baby Bugatti EV, a Hybrid Boat and the Future of Works
On the diminutive electric Bugatti you didn’t know you wanted; interesting predictions about apps, electrification and data; a Scandinavian hybrid tourist boat development; the VW Arteon sedan; and employment considerations in car plants as a result of electrification
-
GM Unit Stresses Driver Training in Autonomous Cars
General Motors Co.’s Cruise Automation unit says it puts backup drivers and auditors through extensive training before allowing them to participate in real-world autonomous vehicle tests.
-
UPDATE: UAW, GM Reach Tentative Labor Deal
General Motors Co. and the United Auto Workers union have reached a possible deal on a new four-year labor contract covering some 48,000 of the union’s hourly workers in the U.S.