Oct. 31, 2011 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
Here is the latest communication from National Labor Relations regarding entry-level pay raises: “Pay increases for Entry Level employees as provided for in the 2011 UAW-GM National Agreement will be implemented effective October 31, 2011. Eligible employees will see the wage rate change in their pay check dated November 11, 2011. Additional communication is forthcoming regarding the date of a retroactive payment that will include the wage differential due from the date of ratification (September 28. 2011) through October 30, 2011.”
There will be a Recreation Committee meeting this Wednesday, Nov. 2, 15 minutes after the longest first shift line time at the Union Hall. Plans will be finalized for the Christmas Dance and Santa’s visit. Anyone wishing to become a member of the committee is welcome to attend.
Here is this week’s build information: 26 E-26 vans; 231 slider doors; 461 cutaways; 248 15-pass vans; 64 r/h door deletes; 56 diesels; 88 exports; 259 Onstar; 276 Penske; 194 AT&T cng vans; 634 Enterprise rent-a-car; 76.8% white vans.
From Wards Auto: Nissan’s NV large commercial van, which launched in the U.S. this spring, is struggling to gain ground. The vehicle, which is equipped with a V-6 or V-8 gasoline engine and offers standard- and high-roof configurations, had a 205 days’ supply at the end of September, second only to the defunct Dodge Viper’s 304 days of inventory, WardsAuto data shows. The leading players in the cargo-van part of the segment, the Ford Econoline and Chevrolet Express posted 73- and 69-day supplies, respectively, at the end of last month. The NV has exceeded 200 day’s supply in most months since its debut, with the exception of July (187) and August (195). Total NV sales through the year’s first nine months were 3,035, compared with 69,187 for the Econoline and 42,084 for the Express cargo vans. Nissan sold 24 NVs a day in September, compared with the Econoline’s 266 units, according to WardsAuto data. ”We have very high expectations for (our van), but realistically Nissan is not the leader in any (vehicle) segment,” Cristi Brown, NV senior marketing manager, told the media at a Detroit event for the van last year. (Well said, Cristi)
Honda reported a $788 million profit in the latest quarter, down 55% from the same period last year. That doesn’t sound too bad considering the fallout from the earthquake/tsunami disaster. But a closer look reveals that they lost money building and selling automobiles - $380 million to be exact. Profits came from motorcycles ($508 million) and financing ($559 million). Honda is not offering any estimates for next quarter or the fiscal year that ends March 2012 primarily because of the flooding in Thailand that is cutting global production - North American production is 50% of plan through Nov. 10 (all N.A. production will be shut down Nov. 11).
From Business Week: The northern Indiana factory where AM General once made H2 Hummers could be building plug-in, hybrid cargo vans under a deal with a startup company announced Friday. Anderson-based Bright Automotive said production of its Idea work van could start in 2013 or 2014 at AM General's Mishawaka factory. Up to 300 workers ultimately could be hired to build the van once production ramps up, chief operating officer Mike Donoughe told the South Bend Tribune. Bright Automotive is seeking a loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to finance the start of production, but last year received a $5 million investment from General Motors' venture capital arm. Donoughe said the company has been in the loan process for "quite a long time" but that he's confident the vehicle will be built. "I'd like to say I'm highly confident, otherwise we wouldn't be making an announcement like we are," Donoughe said. "We just have to keep moving forward and get the ball over the goal line and start creating jobs in St. Joseph County and the surrounding area that I think are highly needed." Bright announced plans in January to hire 200 employees for a new technical center in Rochester Hills, Mich., to develop the Idea van for the commercial market. Bright says the Idea van will be able to travel more than 30 miles in all-electric mode and get 35 miles per gallon in standard hybrid mode.
From Bloomberg: General Motors Co. will keep open until August 2012 the midsize pickup plant in Louisiana that it set for closure as part of a new four-year labor contract. The Shreveport, Louisiana, factory making Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks will close Aug. 23, Kim Carpenter, a spokeswoman for Detroit-based GM, wrote in an e- mail today. The closure date is dependent on pickup orders by dealers and customers, she said. Shreveport is the only assembly plant that the automaker and United Auto Workers agreed would shut as part of their contract ratified Sept. 28.
From Automotive News: General Motors is on track to increase its U.S. market share in 2011 -- the first time that has happened in nine years. GM's share climbed by 1 percentage point in the first nine months of the year, from 19 percent to 20 percent. The last time GM gained share over a full calendar year was in 2002, when it added 0.3 percentage points. But when was the last time GM picked up at least 1 point in a single year? For that you have to go back to 1978, when its U.S. share grew 1.4 points to 46.3 percent -- roughly what the Detroit 3 command today. What drove GM's success back in 1978? It was the rip-roaring redesign of GM's mid-sized sedans: the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Regal.
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