UAW launches campaign to unionize all automakers at once – Tesla, Toyota, etc
The UAW has launched an unprecedented campaign to unionize the entire US auto sector at once, with thousands of auto workers at 13 companies announcing simultaneous unionization campaigns.
After UAW’s big strike win, winning 25%+ pay increases at the “Big Three” American automakers after a simultaneous strike at GM, Ford and Stellantis, the union is looking to maintain that momentum and go bigger.
Immediately after declaring victory, UAW President Shawn Fain said that in the next negotiation in 2028, UAW wants to come back to the bargaining table to negotiate not just with the Big Three, but with “a Big Five or a Big Six” – implying that the union planned to expand to other automakers. And President Biden said that he would support a UAW push to unionize Tesla and Toyota.
Now we’ve seen an official announcement that UAW isn’t just looking to unionize two or three more automakers, but all of them at once. Typically, unionization campaigns focus on a single company at a time, but here UAW is targeting a whole sector with simultaneous campaigns at each individual company. This seems like a tall order, but UAW’s triple-strike against the Big Three seemed to work out well, so it’s now applying that simultaneous tactic to organizing new union drives.
In service of its goal, UAW launched a new website at uaw.org/join, asking workers at each company to sign their union card. The website mentions several automakers by name, and has links to individual campaigns for each automaker where workers can go to express their interest in unionizing:
The campaign was accompanies by a video narrated by Fain making his union pitch. In short, UAW says that automakers and investors are making record profits, but that worker compensation has not kept up. The video specifically mentions Tesla and Rivian’s recent quarterly results, and also states that the Japanese/Korean automakers have combined to make $470 billion in profits, and the German automakers have made an additional $460 billion, in the last ten years.
Since the UAW’s big wins, other automakers have moved to increase pay to (partially) keep up with pay increases at the Big Three. VW, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda have all announced hikes in pay, showing how union wins can buoy an entire industry by making automakers compete for workers with higher pay.
But UAW doesn’t want to stop at a few voluntary pay hikes from other companies, it thinks that unionizing those companies can give workers a better deal. One worker at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant put it thusly:
We’ve lost so much since I started here, and the raise won’t make up for that. It won’t make up for the health benefits we’ve lost, it won’t make up for the wear and tear on our bodies. We still build a quality vehicle. People take pride in that, but morale is at an all-time low. They can give you a raise today and jack up your health benefits tomorrow. A union contract is the only way to win what’s fair.
Jeff Allen, 29-year Toyota assembly worker
UAW also quoted workers at Hyundai, VW, Mercedes and Rivian in its release, focusing on how they think unionization would improve safety and benefits at these automakers.
Electrek’s Take
Unions are having a bit of a moment in the US, reaching their highest popularity ever since surveys started asking about them.
Much of union popularity has been driven by COVID-related disruptions across the economy, with workers becoming unsatisfied due to mistreatment (labeling everyone “essential,” companies ending work-from-home) and with the labor market getting tighter with over 1 million Americans dead from the virus and another 2-4 million (and counting) out of work due to long COVID.
Unions have seized on this dissatisfaction to build momentum in the labor movement, with successful strikes across many industries and organizers starting to organize workforces that had previously been nonunion.
But union membership has been down over several decades in the US, and as a result, pay hasn’t kept pace with worker productivity and income distribution has become more unequal over time. It’s really not hard to see this influence when you plot these trends against each other.
It’s quite clear that lower union membership has resulted in lower inflation-adjusted compensation for workers, even as productivity has skyrocketed. As workers have produced more and more value for their companies, those earnings have gone more and more to their bosses rather than to the workers who produce that value. And it all began in the 80s, around the time of Reagan – a timeline that should be familiar to those who study social ills in America.
All of this isn’t just true in the US but also internationally. If you look at other countries with high levels of labor organization, they tend to have more fair wealth distribution across the economy and more ability for workers to get their fair share.
We’re seeing this in Sweden right now, as Tesla workers are striking for better conditions. Since Sweden has 90% collective bargaining coverage, it tends to have a happy and well-paid workforce, and it seems clear that these two things are correlated. And while that strike is continuing, meaning we haven’t yet seen the end of it, most observers think that the workers will eventually get what they want since collective bargaining is so strong in that country.
These are all reasons why, as I’ve mentioned in many of these UAW-related articles, I’m pro-union. And I think everyone should be – it only makes sense that people should have their interests collectively represented and that people should be able to join together to support each other and exercise their power collectively instead of individually.
This is precisely what companies do with industry organizations, lobby organizations, chambers of commerce, and so on. And it’s what people do when sorting themselves into local, state, or national governments. So naturally, workers should do the same. It’s just fair.
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Isuzu is giving Red Bull electrified wings – the iconic drinks company is officially the first to put the production version of its new-for-2025 Isuzu NRR-EV medium duty electric box truck to work in North America.
Deployed by Red Bull North America, these first-ever customer Isuzu NRR-EV medium duty trucks are busy delivering cans of Red Bull products throughout Southern California with zero tailpipe emissions, marking the first time the best-selling low-cab/cabover box truck brand in the US can make such a claim.
“Today marks a major milestone for the industry and for us. Watching the NRR-EV evolve from a concept to a viable operating product is a big deal,” explains Shaun Skinner, President of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America. “Our teams and our clients have put so much time and effort into making this happen, and it speaks to our teamwork and dedication to more sustainable transportation solutions. It is no longer just a plan, we have zero-emission trucks serving our customers’ needs!”
The NRR-EV is available with a number of different battery configurations, ranging from three 20 kWh battery packs (60 kWh total) up to nine 20 kWh battery packs, with five and seven pack options in between. The nine-pack version is good for up to 235 miles of range with a 19,500 lb. GVWR. The batteries, regardless of configuration, send power to a 150 kW (200 hp) electric motor with 380 lb-ft. of torque available at 0 rpm.
For “Red Bull” duty, the Isuzu trucks ship with a 100 kWh total battery capacity, and are fitted a lightweight, all-aluminum 6-bay beverage body, the vehicle’s design maintains its cargo capacity. The NRR-EV’s 19,500 lb. GVWR (Class 5) chassis, combined with the lightweight body and “big enough” battery spec provides Red Bull’s delivery drivers a hefty, 9,000 lb. payload.
Isuzu began assembling NRR-EV trucks at its Charlotte, Michigan assembly plant in August 2024. Customer deliveries are set to begin nationally in Q1 of 2025.
Electrek’s Take
Isuzu’s N-series trucks are everywhere – and for good reason. They’re dependable, they’re affordable, and they have a nationwide network of GM dealers supporting them. I am a huge fan of these trucks, and can’t wait to sample the electric version from behind the wheel.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Isuzu.
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Hyundai is gearing up to launch its first all-electric minivan. Production is set to begin next year, and the EV minivan is expected to play a key role in its global expansion. Here’s what to expect.
Hyundai will launch its first EV minivan in 2025
The Staria is Hyundai’s successor to the Starex, its multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), launched in 2021. Like its replacement, the Staria is offered in a minivan, minibus, van, pickup, and several other configurations like limousines and ambulances.
Although the Staria was launched with only diesel and gas-powered powertrain options, Hyundai added its first hybrid model in February.
Hyundai will introduce the Staria Electric, its first electric minivan, next year. In March, Hyundai unveiled its new ST1 electric business van, which is based on the Staria. However, the minivan will get its own EV model in 2025. The ST1 is Hyundai’s first commercial EV. It’s available in refrigerated van and basic chassis cab options.
Hyundai is already building gas-powered and hybrid Staria models at its Ulsan plant in Korea, but it is preparing to begin producing the EV version.
According to the Korean media outlet Newsis, sources close to the matter on Friday said Hyundai will begin converting a production line (Line 1) at its Ulsan Plant 4 for Staria Electric around January 25, 2024.
The expansion is part of Hyundai’s broader plan to introduce 21 electric vehicles by 2030, accounting for over 2 million in sales.
A report from The Korean Economic Daily in June claimed Hyundai would expand Staria EV production into Europe starting in the first half of 2026. European-made models will be sold domestically and overseas, like in Australia and Thailand. Hyundai aims to sell 15,000 to 20,000 of the EV model annually.
The Staria Electric will be powered by Hyundai’s fourth-generation 84 kWh EV batteries and will have over 10% more capacity than the ST1.
Hyundai sold 37,769 Starias through the first 11 months of 2024. Last year, Hyundai Staria sales reached 39,780, including domestic and export sales. By the end of the year, Staria sales are expected to exceed 40,000 for the first time.
Hyundai’s sister company also has big plans to expand its commercial business with a new lineup of EVs based on its PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicle). Its first electric van, the PV5, was spotted earlier this year as a potential Volkswagen ID.Buzz challenger.
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Just a year after it hit the 1 million electric mile mark, Schneider National ($SNDR) and its unmistakable orange semi trucks have thrown down the gauntlet – adding more than 5 million miles to its BEV tally and crossing the 6 million electric mile mark!
The company says this latest all-electric milestone means Schneider has cut more than 20 million pounds of harmful carbon emissions. A total it says is equivalent to removing more than 2,100 gas-powered passenger cars from the road.
“Reaching 6 million zero-emission miles is a testament to our steadfast dedication to sustainability and innovation,” said Schneider President and CEO, Mark Rourke. “Leading the way in adopting electric vehicle technology not only benefits the environment but also serves as an example of the broad service capabilities and flexibility we can offer to customers.”
Schneider operates one of the largest fleets of Freightliner eCascadia electric semi trucks in the country, with fully 92 of the BEVs deployed (so far). The trucks have been operating in and around the ports of Southern California, where they have significantly reduced emissions and contributed to cleaner air quality while reliably transporting freight and saving SNDR money.
“Schneider is a great example of the kind of forward-thinking entrepreneurship our industry needs,” says David Carson, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing at DTNA. “They’ve achieved over 6 million zero emission miles, which is a reminder for us all to keep working on overcoming challenges together on the path to zero emissions. At DTNA, we’re committed to the shift to zero emissions, alongside pioneers like Schneider, who are showing us what’s possible.”
Fifty of Schneider’ 92 eCascadias were funded by JETSI – a California-wide initiative working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Of the remaining 42 five are jointly funded by the EPA’s FY18 Targeted Airshed Grant, seven are funded by the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, and 30 are funded by California’s HVIP incentive program.
Electrek’s Take
Schneider is among the many global fleets that are proving the reliability and efficacy of battery-electric semi trucks every day, racking up millions of miles faster than many of the nay-sayers thought would be possible. The only real question facing the world of electric trucking now is whether the legacy brands like Freightliner and Volvo have established an insurmountable lead over Tesla.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Schneider, via BusinessWire.
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