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U.S. asks Mexico to probe whether Stellantis parts plant abused labor rights

MEXICO CITY and WASHINGTON — The United States has asked Mexico to probe alleged worker rights violations at an auto-parts plant owned by Italian-French carmaker Stellantis, the fourth such complaint under a revised trade deal, U.S. officials said on Monday. The U.S. request for Mexico to examine possible abuses at Teksid Hierro de Mexico in the northern border state of Coahuila comes under the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Teksid, which employs nearly 1,500 people and makes iron castings for heavy vehicles, has been embroiled in a union dispute since 2014. Workers say the company has blocked them from being represented by the group of their choice, the Miners Union, and that it dismissed workers who backed the group. The U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) office said in the request it was concerned workers had been denied collective bargaining rights in connection with an "invalid" contract with the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), one of Mexico's most powerful unions, that had been registered with state authorities. The office asked Mexico to investigate if efforts had been made, including threats and incentives, to encourage backing for CTM or to dissuade support for the Miners Union. Labor disputes in Mexico have long featured intimidation tactics by powerful unions cozier with employers and governments than workers. Under the USMCA, the trade pact that replaced NAFTA, factories that violate worker rights could lose their tariff-free status. Companies have been watching how the tougher labor rules will play out. Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest auto group which formed from the merger of Peugeot maker PSA and Fiat Chrysler, said it "respects and supports the collective bargaining rights of its employees around the world and will comply with all local laws in that regard." The United Auto Workers union, which represents U.S. Stellantis workers, along with the AFL-CIO labor federation and the Miners Union, flagged the potential violations, the USTR's office said. Teksid, CTM and the local Conciliation and Arbitration Board should be included in the review, it added. CTM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The union's leader in Coahuila, Tereso Medina, recently told Mexican newspaper El Economista the union would abide by the USMCA and that the conflict should be resolved with a workers' vote. Mexico's federal labor center in May said the Miners Union held the only valid contract.

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Jeep Wrangler pickup expected to hit dealer showrooms April 2019

Automotive News, after speaking with Fiat- Chrysler dealers after the one of the carmaker's meetings last week, found out the coming Jeep Wrangler pickup should hit dealers in April 2019. The dealers said that was the only new bit of information in the hour-long confab. We know Wrangler pickup production begins in the fourth quarter of this year, but we don't know when we'll get our first look at the bedded Jeep. With fully-camoed prototypes still roaming the streets less eight weeks ago, a public introduction could wait until this year's LA Auto Show, one year after the standard Wrangler broke cover and in the same place. Nor do we know exactly what we'll be seeing yet, and that goes for the name, too; Jeep has kept an admirably tight lid on leaks. Based on all of the spy shots so far, we're looking at a four-door Unlimited with a short bed. Previous speculation about a two-door Wrangler pickup appears to have gotten no further than speculation, at least for now. It's easy to assume that the Jeep utility vehicle will come with the same three engine choices as the rest of the lineup - the 268-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, the 285-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, and the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 with 442 pound-feet of torque. Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said he expects to see 100,000 Wrangler pickups sold each year, which is about 56 percent of the Wrangler's current U.S. and European volume, so it makes sense to put everything on the menu. Jeep made the Comanche pickup until 1992, but that was based on the Cherokee; the last Wrangler pickup was the 1986 CJ-8 Scrambler. Come April 2019, the cargo-centric Wrangler will enter a growing segment already humming with the Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, and Nissan Frontier, and awaiting the much anticipated Ford Ranger and brand new Frontier. The Wrangler would be the only member of the club to offer a convertible top, though. People are still keeping an eye on Ram, too. It wasn't so long ago that Marchionne said "Ram needs to be in that space." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2019 Jeep Scrambler Spy Shots View 21 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub req'd via Carscoops Auto News Jeep Truck SUV Future Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles jeep wrangler pickup jeep scrambler