Autoworkers' strike and threat to EV

United Auto Workers union strike, which began Sept. 15, comes as General Motors, Ford and Stellantis — parent of Chrysler — have all made what U.S. News & World Report magazine calls "aggressive" moves to retool existing factories to build electric vehicles.

A lengthy job action, the magazine reports, could set back production and delivery of current and future EV models while raising prices for consumers. Among the plants struck by UAW is the GM auto and truck plant in Wentzville, Missouri.

At issue is a basic reality: EVs require fewer parts and therefore fewer workers to assemble vehicles, so union members, the UAW officials say, are fighting to secure their livelihoods in addition to better pay and working conditions. According to the Economic Policy Institute, adjusted for inflation, wages for autoworkers in the U.S. have fallen 19% since 2008.

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