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Farley reacts as UAW expands strike against Ford, GM

Members of the United Auto Worker union walk out of the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant as Lance Williams from Lansing, Ill., waves the UAW flag Friday. (AP)   As the United Auto Workers walk off the job at an additional Ford and General Motors plant, Ford CEO Jim Farley addressed investors and members of the media Friday, pleading the case for the company's latest overture to the union and addressing both public and investor concerns regarding the core issues facing American manufacturing.  Farley made a public case for Ford's efforts to resolve the dispute, expressing frustration with the ongoing stalemate and noting both the concessions Ford offered before the strike began and the signing of a contract with Canada's Unifor. Farley also acknowledged UAW President Shawn Fain's success in getting the union's message out, quipping: "Shawn has been on TV more than Jake from State Farm at this point." The first-ever simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three automakers enters its third week with threats of continued expansion, but little in the way of obvious concrete progress.  "If the UAW’s goal is a record contract, they have already achieved this," Farley said. "It is grossly irresponsible to escalate these strikes and hurt thousands of families." Farley also lamented the fact that EVs have become the subject of partisan conflict, with the company's recently announced battery production facilities taking heat from both pundits and investors as Ford was forced to press pause on the venture while negotiations continue. Former President Donald Trump dropped in to Michigan this week to declare EVs the enemy of blue-collar jobs. "They've become a political football, and that's a shame," he said. Friday saw an expansion of the UAW strike to Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing, Delta Township, Michigan, assembly plant, covering about 7,000 workers, Fain said in an announcement, bringing the total number of workers on the picket lines to 25,000. The strike will not include any additional members at Stellantis, where talks have reportedly been more productive. The Ford and GM plants went on strike at noon Eastern today (Friday). Ford builds the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in Chicago. GM's Delta Township plant builds Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave. "Despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress," Fain said in a video address Friday morning.

LG Chem ready to double workforce at plant that makes Volt batteries

With a history that involves paying people not to work, the fact that LG Chem is going to hire more people for its electric-vehicle battery plant in Holland, Michigan is good news on a couple fronts for the Korean company. The South Korea-based LG Chem is holding a job fair at the factory about 30 miles west of Grand Rapids. The company wants to double its workforce this year to "several hundred people." LG Chem, whose factory notably makes the cells for General Motors' Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle battery, is looking for everything from technical operators to maintenance workers to production supervisors. The company held a previous job fair last September that resulted in about 40 people being hired. The prior year, though, LG Chem gained a measure of infamy after the US Department of Energy (DOE) discovered that workers were, for a time, getting paid to do absolutely nothing because low demand for battery packs made it cheaper for the factory to remain idle. With LG Chem also making electric-vehicle battery components for Ford, Renault, Hyundai, and Volvo, though, those lazy days appear to be long gone. Take a look at LG Chem's press release below. Show full PR text LG Chem Michigan Inc. 2nd Job Fair Will Help To Double Its Holland Workforce HOLLAND, Mich., May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Chem Michigan Inc. (LGCMI) is conducting a 2nd job fair on Thursday, May 14 as part of the company's efforts to double the size of its production workforce in 2015. LGCMI is an air-conditioned, clean room production environment with strong opportunity for career growth. Over 250 people attended the first job fair and the company is looking for more people to help it grow with increased production volume and new models. The company is adding production equipment and new processes and expects to employ several hundred people by the end of the year. Globally, LG Chem has numerous automakers as clients for EV batteries including GM, Ford, Renault, Hyundai/Kia, Volvo, Audi and Daimler etc. The company's push to build its workforce continues on Thursday, May 14 with an all-day job fair at the company's facilities, located at 1 LG Way in Holland. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and is open to everyone seeking employment opportunities with the company. Prospective candidates should plan to meet with members of LGCMI's staff to learn more about opportunities available at this market-leading, advanced-technology manufacturing company.

AWD turbodiesel Equinox, Terrain dropped for 2020

Citing low demand, General Motors is dropping the AWD diesel options off the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain roster. Chevrolet spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed to CarsDirect that for 2020, the diesel versions of these SUVs will only be offered with front-wheel-drive. CarsDirect notes that with the AWD diesel Equinox and Terrain gone, the only AWD diesel option in this class is the Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv diesel, which is significantly more expensive: As the AWD diesel CX-5 is only available in a fully loaded Signature specification, the $42,045 price tag is almost $10k heftier than the cheapest comparable Equinox, the AWD 1.6-liter diesel LT which starts from $32,495. The 2019 GMC Terrain AWD SLE costs $34,795 in comparison, which works out to being around $7,200 cheaper than the Mazda. The higher trim levels for the Equinox and Terrain are Premier and SLT, respectively. Some reasoning behind the AWD diesel GM SUV's low uptake is their own price difference to base FWD gasoline models: you can get a 1.5-liter Equinox for less than §25,000 listed. While the 2.2-liter Mazda has plenty more power at 168 hp and 290 lb-ft, compared to 137hp and 240 lb-ft in the 1.6-liter GM SUVs, the Equinox and Terrain are notably more frugal – they are rated 32mpg combined, while the Mazda can manage 28 mpg. With better fuel economy and a significantly lower list price, the General Motors twins are at least more wallet-friendly when it comes to numbers, and as the vehicles will cease to be built in that configuration there's likely to be some cash on the hood on ones in stock. News Source: CarsDirectImage Credit: Chevrolet Chevrolet GM GMC confirmed gmc terrain chevrolet equinox