A UAW supporter in 2017 outside a Nissan plant in Canton, Miss., ahead of a vote the union lost. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis Persuading Southern autoworkers to join a union remains one of the U.S. labor movement’s most enduring challenges, despite persistent efforts by the United Auto Workers union to organize this workforce. To be sure, the UAW does have members employed by Ford and General Motors at facilities in Kentucky, Texas, Missouri and Mississippi. However, the UAW has tried and largely failed to organize workers at foreign-owned companies, including Volkswagen and Nissan in Southern st ..read more

A Dearborn policeman knocked unconscious was the first casualty of the 1932 Ford Hunger March in Detroit and Dearborn. Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University. / Detroit News Burckhardt. The intersection of Fort Street and Oakwood Boulevard in southwest Detroit today functions mostly as a thoroughfare for trucks and commuters. However, as you sit idling at the stoplight waiting to cross the bridge over the Rouge River, you might glance to the side and see something unexpected in this heavily industrialized area: A sculpture of weathered steel reac ..read more

Dearborn, Michigan, is a center of Arab American cultural, economic, and political life. It’s home to several of the country’s oldest and most influential mosques, the Arab American National Museum, dozens of now-iconic Arab bakeries and restaurants, and a vibrant and essential mix of Arab American service and cultural organizations. The city became the first Arab-majority city in the U.S. in 2023, with roughly 55% of the city’s 110,000 residents claiming Middle Eastern or North African ancestry on the 2023 census. One of us is an author and historian who specializes in the Arab and Muslim com ..read more

There is such a thing as a win-win deal. nortonrsx/iStock via Getty Images Plus Conventional wisdom says that you should never leave money on the table when negotiating. But research in my field suggests this could be exactly the wrong approach. There’s mounting evidence that a short-term win at the bargaining table can mean a loss in terms of overall trust and cooperation. That can leave everyone – including the “winner” – worse off. As a former executive, I’ve managed large contracts as both a buyer and a seller. Now, as a business professor, I study these trading partner relationships, expl ..read more

UAW President Shawn Fain, left, clasps hands with President Biden after endorsing his bid for reelection. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images The United Auto Workers has endorsed President Joe Biden’s bid for reelection in 2024. “Joe Biden has earned it,” said union president Shawn Fain on Jan. 24 as he announced the union’s decision to back the incumbent candidate. The Conversation U.S. asked Marick Masters, a Wayne State University scholar of labor, politics and business issues, to explain why the UAW waited until now to endorse Biden and why this endorsement matters. Why is the UAW endorsement ..read more

UAW members and leaders march in Detroit on Sept. 15, 2023 – the first day of the union's strike. AP Photo/Paul Sancya The United Auto Workers union is ramping up its strike against General Motors and Stellantis – the global company that makes Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles – and getting closer to a deal with Ford. About 5,600 UAW members at 38 General Motors and Stellantis distribution centers for auto parts in 20 states walked off the job on Sept. 22, 2023, after an announcement by UAW President Shawn Fain. Workers at the only Ford plant affected by the strike since it began on Sept. 15 w ..read more

United Auto Workers members rally after marching in the Detroit Labor Day Parade on Sept. 4, 2023. Bill Pugliano via Getty Images The United Auto Workers union, or UAW, has told workers at three factories to go on strike after failing to agree on new contracts with each of Detroit’s major automakers. The contracts expired at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14, 2023. By midnight, the union posted a strike declaration on its website. The strike will force General Motors, Ford and Stellantis – the global company that builds Chrysler, Jeep, Ram and Dodge vehicles in North America – to halt some of their opera ..read more

Zapp2Photo / Shutterstock There is much talk in the automotive industry about the “internet of vehicles” (IoV). This describes a network of cars and other vehicles that could exchange data over the internet in an effort to make transportation more autonomous, safe and efficient. The IoV could help vehicles identify roadblocks, traffic jams and pedestrians. It could help with a car’s positioning on the road, potentially enable them to be driverless, and provide easier diagnoses of faults. It’s already happening to some extent with smart motorways, where technology is used with the intention of ..read more

UAW President Shawn Fain speaks with General Motors workers on July 12, 2023, in Detroit. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images The United Auto Workers union, which represents nearly 150,000 employees of companies that manufacture U.S.-made vehicles, kicked off in mid-July 2023 the labor negotiations it undergoes every four years with the three main unionized automakers. It’s not clear that the UAW will agree upon a new contract with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis – the automaker that manufactures Chrysler and 13 other vehicle brands – by their impending deadline. The contracts expire at 11:59 p.m ..read more

shutterstock Car theft is on the rise, according to AA Insurance Services. Worryingly, thieves are increasingly using high-tech tools to target weaknesses in the same sensors and computerised systems that were designed to help make our journeys safer and more comfortable. In fact, as the market research company Technavio, noted in 2017, the significant growth of the automotive electronics sector was driven specifically by the need for added driver convenience and concerns about car theft. So, it’s a sobering thought that these same sensors, computers and data aggregation systems are what crimi ..read more