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Ford, Stellantis workers join those at GM in ratifying contract that ended UAW strikes

DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union overwhelmingly ratified new contracts with Ford and Stellantis, that along with a similar deal with General Motors will raise pay across the industry, force automakers to absorb higher costs and help reshape the auto business as it shifts away from gasoline-fueled vehicles. Workers at Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles, voted 68.8% in favor of the deal. Their approval brought to a close a contentious labor dispute that included name-calling and a series of punishing strikes that imposed high costs on the companies and led to significant gains in pay and benefits for UAW workers. The deal at Stellantis passed by a roughly 10,000 vote margin, with ballot counts ending Saturday afternoon. Workers at Ford voted 69.3% in favor of the pact, which passed with nearly a 15,000-vote margin in balloting that ended early Saturday. Earlier this week, GM workers narrowly approved a similar contract. The agreements, which run through April 2028, will end contentious talks that began last summer and led to six-week-long strikes at all three automakers. Shawn Fain, the pugnacious new UAW leader, had branded the companies enemies of the UAW who were led by overpaid CEOs, declaring the days of union cooperation with the automakers were over. After summerlong negotiations failed to produce a deal, Fain kicked off strikes on Sept. 15 at one assembly plant at each company. The union later extended the strike to parts warehouses and other factories to try to intensify pressure on the automakers until tentative agreements were reached late in October. The new contract agreements were widely seen as a victory for the UAW. The companies agreed to dramatically raise pay for top-scale assembly plant workers, with increases and cost-of-living adjustments that would translate into 33% wage gains. Top assembly plant workers are to receive immediate 11% raises and will earn roughly $42 an hour when the contracts expire in April of 2028. Under the agreements, the automakers also ended many of the multiple tiers of wages they had used to pay different workers. They also agreed in principle to bring new electric-vehicle battery plants into the national union contract. This provision will give the UAW an opportunity to unionize the EV battery plants plants, which will represent a rising share of industry jobs in the years ahead.

The Rolls-Royce Dawn leads this month's list of discounts

If you're one of the few readers of this site who is in the market for a $350,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn, well, first of all, good for you. And you should be prepared to keep some extra money in your pocket, too, as the drop-top Roller leads this month's list of the largest monetary discounts with an average of $14,733 taken off the machine's $359,250 sticker price. That means buyers are paying an average transaction price of $344,517 for the 2020 Rolls-Royce Dawn this month, according to data provided to Autoblog by TrueCar, which equals about 4.1% off the price on the sticker. An intriguing pair of supercars land in second and third positions this month. The 2019 Acura NSX is selling for an average of $145,174 this month, which represents a 9% discount, or $14,373. With an eerily similar 9% discount of $14,079 comes the 2020 Aston Martin Vantage, which has an average transaction price of $142,002 this month. The Maserati Quattroporte is up next with an average discount of $13,634. Another Rolls-Royce model lands in the fifth spot, but instead of the aging Dawn it's the brand-new Cullinan SUV. Although the luxury 'ute boasts a large discount of $12,427, its staggeringly high retail price of $332,750 means buyers are getting a little less than 4% off the sticker. More interesting to most buyers will be the 2019 Lincoln Navigator, which is one of our favorite full-size SUVs in America. Buyers of Lincoln's range-topping vehicle are getting average discounts of $11,761. That represents a 13.4% savings for a final price of $75,940. For a look at the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices, check out our monthly recap here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide. Related Video:

2016 Lincoln MKX images and details hit the web

Well, what do we have here? In what we're assuming is an accidental leak, a live URL from Lincoln Canada has been brought to our attention, and it's chock full of information on a new 2016 Lincoln MKX that we figure will most likely see an introduction at the Detroit Auto Show right around the corner. "Inspired by airplane design," says Lincoln, we see a good bit of the smaller MKC in the design of the next MKX, and that's a good thing. We note HID lights with LED accents, a Panoramic Vista Roof, a hands-free power liftgate and a 360-degree camera mounted behind the front Lincoln emblem as tasty exterior details to look forward to. Inside is what appears to be a pretty darn beautiful cabin, with available Bridge of Weir leather seats with optional heating and cooling, plus 22-way adjustability. Open-pore wood in either walnut swirl of olive ash looks classy, and the newly available Revel audio with 13 or optionally 19 speakers ought to work well with the car's active noise control to provide a serene driving experience. We're not entirely sure what infotainment system the 2016 Lincoln MKX will boast, but the images appear to show a version of the much-maligned MyLincoln Touch interface, and not the upcoming Sync 3, although at least there is more physical switchgear for the HVAC, as on the MKC. As far as the vehicle's engine and chassis, we see mention of an available twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost, but there's no power rating just yet – we know it will be more than 300 horsepower, but how much more is still unknown. There's no mention of the 2016 MKX's transmission, which makes us think it will probably offer the same six-speed unit as the Ford Edge. On the plus side, there will be adaptive steering to go along with three driving modes – Normal, Comfort and Sport. Lincoln Drive Control with continuously controlled damping also sounds beneficial. That's all we know so far, but we're looking forward to getting all the details, hopefully in just a few days, since the vehicle is said to be hitting showrooms in the summer of 2015. In the meantime, check out the image gallery above, and feel free to read a lengthy discussion about the leak at the FordInsideNews.com forum. Featured Gallery 2016 Lincoln MKX Leaked Images View 14 Photos News Source: Lincoln Canada via Ford Inside NewsTip: Michael Detroit Auto Show Lincoln Crossover Luxury 2015 Detroit Auto Show lincoln mkx