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UAW fight with Stellantis escalates as union files unfair labor charges over factory commitments

Business

UAW fight with Stellantis escalates as union files unfair labor charges over factory commitments
Business

Business

UAW fight with Stellantis escalates as union files unfair labor charges over factory commitments

2024-09-17 07:52 Last Updated At:08:01

The United Auto Workers' rift with Stellantis widened Monday as the union filed federal labor charges over possibly moving production of an SUV out of the country.

The union said it filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board accusing Stellantis of illegally refusing to release information about plans to move Dodge Durango production from a Detroit factory to one in Canada.

The union also has filed grievances over the Durango and company delays in reopening a vehicle assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, as well as build a parts distribution center and electric vehicle battery plant there. The UAW has threatened to strike on that issue.

The union says it based the unfair labor practices charge on media reports that the Durango would be moved from the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit.

The company committed to the Belvidere additions as well as Durango production in the union's new contract, reached last fall after a six-week strike, the UAW said.

In a statement, union President Shawn Fain said the contract gives the UAW the right to strike over contractual commitments to build vehicles in the U.S. “Now Stellantis wants to go back on the deal,” he said. “We intend to enforce our contract and to make Stellantis keep the promise.”

Stellantis denied that it's violating the contract and said that like all automakers, it is managing how and when it brings new vehicles into the market in order to be competitive. “We will communicate our plans to the UAW at the appropriate time,” the company said in a statement.

Many union members fear that if the automaker breaks its commitment to restart the Belvidere factory, it won’t keep other promises made in the new United Auto Workers contract, which runs through April of 2028. They worry, in particular, that the automaker could move production to factories in lower-cost Mexico.

Stellantis has said it still intends to reopen Belvidere and also build a battery plant and parts warehouse there, but needs to delay them because of unfavorable market conditions. It did not give dates for the changes. At stake are over 2,700 jobs.

The company agreed to reopen Belvidere Assembly in 2027, with plans to build up to 100,000 electric and gas-powered midsize pickups annually. It also agreed to open the parts hub this year and the battery factory in 2028. In all, the company pledged $18.9 billion of U.S. investments during the contract, which runs until April 2028.

It also agreed to build gas and electric versions of the next generation of Durango at Jefferson North starting in 2026.

The letter said Stellantis and the UAW agree that investment and jobs in North America are “contingent upon plant performance, changes in market conditions, and consumer demand continuing to generate sustainable and profitable (sales) volumes.”

This story has been corrected to change the reason for the union filing an unfair labor practice charge. It was filed over the company's alleged refusal to give the UAW information on a potential move of Dodge Durango production to Canada.

FILE - An entrance to the Stellantis factory in Belvidere. Ill., is shown on July 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

FILE - An entrance to the Stellantis factory in Belvidere. Ill., is shown on July 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory in his first public comment on the U.S. vote, and he praised the president-elect's courage during the July assassination attempt.

“His behavior at the moment of an attempt on his life left an impression on me. He turned out to be a brave man," Putin said at an international forum following a speech in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

"He manifested himself in the very correct way, bravely as a man,” he added.

Putin also said that what Trump has said “about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to help end the Ukrainian crisis, in my opinion, deserves attention at least.”

The Kremlin earlier welcomed Trump’s claim that he could negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine “in 24 hours” but emphasized that it will wait for concrete policy steps.

″I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” Putin said in a question-and-answer session at the conference.

As to what he expects from a second Trump administration, Putin said, “I don’t know what will happen now. I have no idea.”

"For him, this is still his last presidential term. What he will do is his matter,” Putin said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday the Kremlin is not ruling out the possibility of contact between Putin and Trump before the inauguration, given that Trump “said he would call Putin before the inauguration.”

Peskov has emphasized that Moscow views the U.S. as an “unfriendly” country that is directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. He dismissed arguments that Putin’s failure to reach out quickly to Trump could hurt future ties, saying that Moscow's relations with Washington already are at the “lowest point in history” and arguing that it will be up to the new U.S. leadership to change the situation.

The Kremlin’s cautious stand reflected its view of the U.S. vote as a choice between two unappealing possibilities. While Trump is known for his admiration of Putin, the Russian leader has repeatedly noted that during Trump’s first term, there were “so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia like no other president has ever introduced before him.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to speak at a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to speak at a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin points during a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin points during a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he answers to a question during a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he answers to a question during a meeting with foreign policy experts at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

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