In two high-profile union elections this year, the United Auto Workers went one for two. In April, workers at a Tennessee Volkswagen plant voted to unionize, while Mercedes-Benz employees in Alabama rejected the union’s...more
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has lost an election at two Mercedes Benz plants in Vance, Alabama. The May 2024 loss reflected that workers turned down the union by a significant margin (56% to 44%)....more
This update helps automotive suppliers inform their legal and operational decisions to help address challenges and opportunities. Key Developments - Foley & Lardner provided an overview of recent state and federal...more
While extensive high-profile strike activity was heavily reported throughout 2023, it was – striking– to analyze the hard data regarding 2023 strike activity in Bloomberg’s annual report that was just released. The report...more
The United Auto Workers won a potentially momentum-shifting organizing victory last week. In a secret ballot election conducted by the NLRB at a Chattanooga, Tennessee Volkswagen plant, nearly 75% of the putative bargaining...more
This update helps automotive suppliers inform their legal and operational decisions to help address challenges and opportunities. Key Developments - Nearly 9,000 UAW members at Ford’s largest truck plant in Kentucky...more
After years of declining membership and tepid contract results, American unions are gaining momentum. In November 2023, following a six-week strike, the UAW (under the leadership of its president, Shawn Fein) secured historic...more
In August 2022 the National Labor Relations Board issued its decision in Tesla, Inc.,holding that an employer bears the burden of proving “special circumstances” if it “interferes in any way with its employees’ right to...more
The Fifth Circuit’s decision in Tesla, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board is a victory for employers seeking to enforce their uniform requirement without fear of running afoul of federal labor laws. The decision affirms...more
The United Auto Workers Union strike against the Detroit Three automakers that began on September 15th continues with no immediate resolution in sight. The UAW expanded the strike on Friday September 22nd when some 5,500 UAW...more
Are unions making a historic comeback? The United Auto Workers union is simultaneously on strike against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis for the first time in American history, California’s legislature passed a bill that...more
The Cozen Lens- • President Biden’s and former President Trump’s reactions to the United Auto Workers strike against the Big Three automakers underscores that neither political party can take the support of blue-collar...more
After the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) labor contracts with the “Detroit Three” automakers expired on September 14, 2023, and the parties were not able to agree on new contract terms, the UAW began striking at targeted plants...more
Given recent headlines surrounding contentious UAW contract negotiations, it is increasingly likely that a labor strike against one or more of the Big Three automakers is not a question of if such strikes will occur, but when...more
Union and employer corruption scandals have dominated the headlines in recent months. Many union and company officials have been convicted and given lengthy prison sentences for bribery, embezzlement and other forms of...more
The White House will again slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Argentina and Brazil in an apparent reaction to “massive devaluation” of currencies in both South American nations....more
More than a bit of drama in the auto world yesterday, with General Motors suing rival Fiat Chrysler, accusing it of “bribing United Auto Workers officials to gain competitive advantages in contract negotiations.” The UAW’s...more
PG&E’s woes continue. Not only is the company still in the midst of a dangerous fire season, but it’s struggling to find a path out of bankruptcy while fending off a growing chorus of cities and state officials “threatening...more
Jobs Report Friday again. Here’s what we’re watching, including the possibility of scary low numbers thanks to the only-recently-resolved GM strike....more
A group of three major drug distributors—McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health—are in the midst of talks with representatives of state and local governments who have brought more than 2000 opioid-related lawsuits...more
Whether graduate student assistants at private universities are “employees” covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) might soon be taken up (again) by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Since overruling...more
The UAW recently announced that its members approved the tentative agreement with Ford by approximately 51%, just enough to ratify the agreement despite receiving greater benefits than the workers at both GM and Fiat...more
If you ain’t first, you’re last. Not so say the Ford UAW workers whose bargaining committee recently reached a new tentative agreement with Ford. While Ford was the last to reach a tentative agreement with the UAW, if the...more
Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) voted 3-1 to reconsider its decision in Brown University, 342 NLRB 483 (2004) that graduate teaching and research assistants are not employees under the National...more
In an effort to keep the momentum in its favor, the UAW gave GM a strike deadline of Sunday, October 25, 2015, at 11:59 p.m., to reach a tentative agreement. The UAW’s strategy appears to have worked as the parties reached a...more