October 2023: A UAW Standstill.

You'd think that after over a month of back and fourth, big corporations and workers alike would be tired of dealing with the terrible situation within the industry. Things are only getting worse it appears, with more plants shutting down and increasing amounts of layoffs driving the strike into a bit of an overdrive.

On Monday, October 24th, the strike leader had issued a call to action for other major manufacturers and distribution centers to strike - only to have the largest planet in Texas to walk out and increase the tension on an already strained industry. This factory was a core center for the Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, and GMC Yukon. While more focused in creating the actual vehicles, this factory is essential for keeping parts in rotation by expanding production on the vehicle line. At the end of the day, it only create more tension between the workers and the management.

This new addition to the strike added 4,800 workers to the picket lines - meaning that nearly 45,000 workers are now apart of this push for their demands. 46 factories are now apart of this strike, with the Arlington plant being one of the most profitable in the nation. It will certainly draw the ire of the big-wigs that reside at the top of the corporate food chain, and should show that the UAW strike is nothing to simply toss aside. Consistent strain on the industry aside, Stellantis reacted only by firing over 500 employees that were a part of the strike in order to hold control over the workers that are employed at the factory.

There is no way this helps anyone coming from the industry, and creates a wider gap between an agreement in the future.

Meanwhile, Ford expressed that they had 'reached their limit' in economic offers to the workers moving forward. Kumar Halhotra, president of the Ford Blue division, said Thursday in a conference call. "On the economics, I would say, yes, we have reached out limit. We've actually stretched ourselves to get to this point." Others within Ford speak of the 'fragile supply chain' that is only being nudged further to collapse.

It's interesting to note the phrasing; if only the last three years of profits said differently. Since 2020, Ford has had an ever increasing amount of net profit that stretches into the billions - and while the UAW workers are asking for sweeping changes, it's nothing that can't truly be fixed by allowing the profit to be fed back into the lifeblood of the companies. The situation in the United States is dire, and is only going to get worse and worse in the future if we do not find ourselves at an agreement.

What's Fullservs take?

Pay your people and get them back to work! The hard working folks that make our parts, our cars, and manage our shipments are what keep the shops busy. Without the people making our cars, packing our parts, and shipping them to us we can not succeed as a business and our local communities vehicles. Every day that the strike lingers, more and more parts begin to vanish off the shelves and wait times only get longer with every missing work shift. We need people back in the saddle now, and if it means taking a net loss of profit (which, again, pushes into the billions!) in order to maintain the automotive industry, then so be it. Otherwise, the smaller shops that can be the lifeblood of Middle America will cave in - increasing problems across the board.

If you have anything going on with your car, small or large, you need to get it fixed now! If this expands into the next month, we could be looking at a Thanksgiving where every one of our family members around the dinner table is arguing about price increases or lack of availability in parts or timeframe to get their cars fixed.

_________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for taking the time to read, and remember to do your own research and follow the sources! With everything going on now of days, it's smart to think smart and be smart - and critically think about every scenario. Especially when those scenarios revolve around the lives of those that keep your car running.

Ron