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New UAW boss Williams talks tough, vows 'no more concessions'

Dennis Williams, the newly elected president of the UAW, had some tough words for American automakers in his inauguration speech at the 2014 UAW Convention, striking down the possibility of any additional concessions from the 400,000-strong union.
"No more concessions. We are tired of it. Enough is enough," Williams said during his speech. UAW employees have not received a raise in nearly 10 years, according to Reuters.
Considering the recent strong results for Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, the union's demands are likely to carry a bit more weight in next year's negotiations. And considering Williams' tough stance, we could be in for some fireworks once negotiations commence.

Rowan Atkinson crashes at Goodwood Revival

To quote Harry Hogge (played by Robert Duvall) in Days of Thunder, "rubbin, son, is racin'." That can mean some unfortunate damage to high-end racing machinery, which may be repaired easily enough in stock car racing, but when it comes to vintage racing, the stakes can be that much higher. And yet incidents do occur, like at this weekend's Goodwood Revival.
Among the many competitors taking part in the retro racing event in England was none other than Rowan Atkinson, the actor perhaps best known for playing Mr. Bean. Driving a classic Ford Falcon Sprint in the Shelby Cup event, Atkinson (pictured above at the 2012 revival) reportedly crashed head-on into another car on track.
According to reports, the two cars up spun out. The driver in between managed to avoid a pile-up, but Atkinson couldn't steer clear and hit the obstructing vehicle. Fortunately Rowan walked away unscathed (and, we imagine, in a humorous manner), but while we don't know how extensive the damage was to the Falcon, it was enough to take it out of the race.

Ford recalls 200K Escape, Transit Connect models over instrument panel

Ford is announcing two new recalls that cover a total of 203,494 vehicles in North America. By far the larger of the campaigns is a recall for 203,445 examples of the 2014-2015 Escape and Transit Connect in North America. Specifically, there are 182,520 units recalled in the US, 18,226 in Canada, and 2,699 in Mexico. For these models, the instrument cluster, warning messages, lights, and chimes might not work at startup. This problem puts the vehicles out of compliance with the federal motor vehicle code, and the fix is a software update. The other recall is minuscule and only affects 49 units of the 2015 Transit that are owned by a single fleet customer. The company's vans have a specially ordered front passenger seatbelt, but the parts aren't labeled correctly under the federal code. Everything works properly, though, according to Ford. The fix is simply a new decal with the required info. No accidents or injuries are known to be related to either of these two recalls. Related Video: FORD ISSUES TWO SAFETY COMPLIANCE RECALLS IN NORTH AMERICA DEARBORN, Mich., June 24, 2015 – Ford is issuing two safety compliance recalls in North America. There are no accidents or injuries attributed to these conditions. Details are as follows: Ford issues safety compliance recall for certain 2014-2015 Transit Connect and Escape vehicles for instrument panel issue Ford Motor Company is issuing a safety compliance recall for approximately 203,500 2014-2015 Transit Connect and Escape vehicles in North America for an issue with the instrument panel cluster. When starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster, warning chimes, messages and warning lights may not work, which is a compliance issue with FMVSS 101 and other applicable FMVSS requirements. If these displays don't work as intended, it could increase the risk of a crash. Ford is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with this issue. Affected vehicles include certain 2014-2015 Transit Connect vehicles built at Valencia Assembly Plant in Spain, May 13, 2014 to Dec. 10, 2014 and certain 2014-2015 Escape vehicles built at Louisville Assembly Plant, May 19, 2014 to Feb. 6, 2015. There are 203,445 vehicles in North America, including 182,520 in the United States and federalized territories, 18,226 in Canada and 2,699 in Mexico. Dealers will update the instrument panel cluster software at no cost to the customer.