August 27, 2013 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
This Thursday, Aug. 29 you are being asked to boycott fast food restaurants in support of their workers who are striking for living wages. Organizers are expecting that up to 35 major cities will see protests against the fast food industry, including St. Louis and Kansas City. Show your support for these workers and take a break from fast food this Thursday.
The St. Louis Business Journal is conducting a poll regarding right-to-work for the state of Missouri. We encourage you to vote in this poll. Go to: http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/and scroll down and click on the “Business Pulse Survey” with the question, “Should Missouri pass a Right to Work law letting workers decide whether or not to join or financially support a union?”
Reminder: The United Way kickoff is tomorrow in the cafeteria from 8 am to noon and 7 pm to 9:30 pm. Once again, there will be several agencies looking for your help. Here are some quick facts to consider: United Way helps 1 in 3 local people; United Way funds more than 170 local agencies; United Way helps 16 counties in Missouri and Illinois. As you’ve seen on the video, peoples’ lives can be changed with your help.
Hyundai Motor Co.'s South Korean workers plan to extend a partial strike by another two days after the latest round of wage talks failed to produce an agreement, a union spokesman said today. More than 40,000 unionized workers plan to idle the automaker's South Korean plants for eight hours on Wednesday and on Friday, the spokesman said. The workers had already staged a partial strike on Monday and had stopped work for three days last week. Hyundai labor unions have said they're demanding a pay increase of 130,498 won ($117) a month and for 30 percent of net income to be distributed to workers. Last year Hyundai’s net income was $8.1 billion, which would generate payments of over $60,000 per worker if they are successful in getting that 30 percent agreement.
Automotive News looked at future product plans for both Nissan and Toyota this week. No mention of the Nissan NV full-size van. The smaller NV200 is forecast for sales of more than 20,000 a year. New in the 2015-16 model time frame are a lithium ion battery-powered electric version and a gasoline-electric hybrid version. The midsize pickup Nissan Frontier will be “freshened” in 2015. The Toyota Tacoma mid-size pickup “soldiers on until a late 2014 redesign is needed for safety and emissions requirements.”
Consumer Reports magazine rates the 2014 Chevrolet Impala as the most improved redesigned or re-engineered vehicle it has recently tested. The Impala’s overall test score skyrocketed 32 points from 63 in previous testing to 95 on a 100-point scale. The Hyundai Accent hatchback, up 20 points; Audi A6, up 14; Land Rover LR4, up 13; and Mazda6, up 12, round out the magazine’s five most improved redesigned vehicles. Scores are based on more than 50 road tests and evaluations, including emergency handling, fuel economy, interior, braking, control and acceleration. Vehicles are tested on a set course to determine overall performance. The Impala went from being a “dated and inferior rental car option to contemporary, roomy, comfortable and enjoyable to drive. In other words, one of the very best cars on the road today,” Consumer Reports said in a statement. The magazine says it tests about 80 new vehicles a year and in some cases it has been several years since a vehicle was last tested.
From the Detroit Free Press: According to a study by AutoTrader.com. released today at an Automotive Press Association luncheon in Detroit, only 38% of millennials say it’s important to buy a car that was assembled in the U.S. That compares with 53% of generation X and 60% of baby boomers, according to AutoTrader. “It’s important for domestics not to hang their hats on ‘Made in the USA’ to the same extent they did in the past,” said Isabelle Helms, senior director of research and marketing analytics for AutoTrader.com. But that doesn’t mean millennials, defined by AutoTrader as ages 16 to 32, aren’t interested in vehicles made by U.S.-based car companies. General Motors’ Chevrolet brand and Ford have swiped millennial market share from Japanese manufacturers in recent years, according to Edmunds.com and Maritz Research.
That’s because millennials aren’t loyal to auto brands. Only 30% said they were likely to purchase the same brand for their next vehicle, compared with 41% for generation X and 47% for baby boomers. Reaching young people is important because millennials will represent 40% of car purchases by 2020, Helms said. About 48% of millenials said it’s important for their vehicle to reflect their personality, compared with 38% of generation X and 34% of baby boomers, AutoTrader found.
Young millennials said the brands that most fit their personality are, in order, Audi, Honda, Mercedes, BMW and Toyota. Older Millennials picked Audi, Mercedes, Chevrolet, Honda and Toyota. But when actually purchasing a vehicle, the top five brands young millennials considered were Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet, Ford and BMW, while older millennials considered Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota and Nissan. Problematic for automakers is that many young car shoppers don’t like the current process for buying a vehicle.
About 56% said they would prefer to avoid interacting with a salesperson, compared with 49% of generation X and 37% of baby boomers. Only 47% considered their dealer to be trustworthy, compared with 64% of ages 35 and up. “If they walk through your front door, they know what they want,” said Chevrolet Sonic marketing manger Dora Nowicki. “They want to see how you are going to treat them.”
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
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