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Thousands of auto workers go on strike: What you need to know on September 15, 2023 at 1:07 pm Business News | The Hill

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Workers at three U.S. auto plants are on strike after the Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) failed to reach an agreement by Thursday night’s strike deadline.

In July, negotiations began between the UAW and Ford, Stellantis and General Motors focused on pay increases, pensions and career security. The workers also have concerns about electric vehicles and how a shift toward EVs could affect their jobs and pay.

“This strategy will keep the companies guessing. It will give our national negotiators maximum leverage and flexibility in bargaining, and if we need to go all out, we will. Everything is on the table,” UAW President Sean Fain told workers during a Facebook Live event two hours before the strike deadline, referring to the selective walkouts.

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What workers want

The UAW’s demands include wage increases, cost-of-living pay raises, the end to wage tiers for factory jobs, a 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay, the restoration of traditional defined-benefit pensions for new hires who now receive only 401(k)-style retirement plans, and pension increases for retirees. 

The workers gave up cost-of-living raises and defined-benefit pensions in 2007 and the wage tiers were created before and during the Great Recession to avoid financial troubles.

Auto industry in transition

The strike also comes with the rise of electric vehicles in the American market and a push by lawmakers toward EVs in an effort to reduce the effects toward climate change. The Biden administration has promoted EVs, including a proposal that aims to have two-thirds of car sales be electric by 2032. 

Other efforts by the Biden administration to move the American auto market toward electric vehicles include putting up $12 billion for converting auto manufacturing plants into plants for electric and hybrid vehicles.

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Strike could be costly

The strike could get expensive for the auto manufacturers. If it lasts 10 days, it could cost nearly a billion dollars, according to the Anderson Economic Group. When a 40-day strike happened in 2019, it cost GM about $3.6 billion. And with the auto industry making up 3 percent of the U.S. economy’s gross domestic product and the Detroit automakers representing about half of the U.S car market, the economy could face repercussions.

However, manufacturers won’t be the only ones facing economic problems from the strike. Workers would receive about $500 a week in strike pay, much less than they make on the job.

Biden could feel impact from strike

President Joe Biden faces a test with the strike, as he has claimed to be very pro-union as well as very pro-electric vehicle. The president spoke with Fain and leaders of auto companies the day before the strike started. 

The strike has a risk of stifling economic gains and straining ties between the president and the union. The UAW backed Biden’s 2020 campaign for president, but announced in May it would withhold its endorsement for his reelection bid.

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The Associated Press contributed reporting.

​Business, Administration, News, Policy, State Watch, 2024 presidential election, Climate change, Electric vehicles, Ford, General Motors, Sean Fain, Stellantis, UAW strike Workers at three U.S. auto plants are on strike after the Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) failed to reach an agreement by Thursday night’s strike deadline. In July, negotiations began between the UAW and Ford, Stellantis and General Motors focused on pay increases, pensions and career security. The workers also have…  

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Peloton appoints Twitter exec as new chief product officer on September 27, 2023 at 1:30 am Business News | The Hill

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A former Twitter executive will join Peloton as its chief product officer, the company announced Tuesday, replacing a company co-founder in the role.

Nick Caldwell was named for the position on Tuesday, joining the leadership team of a company that has faced difficulty maintaining the rocketing growth it experienced during the COVID pandemic.

“Nick brings impressive engineering, design, and product experience to the Peloton team. Nick joins us at an exciting time as we lean into growing our subscriber base online and on our connected fitness hardware,” CEO Barry McCarthy said in a statement.

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Caldwell held leadership roles at Microsoft, Reddit and Google before working as Twitter’s vice president of engineering and general manager for nearly two years until Elon Musk purchased the company in late 2022.

Peloton sales dropped in the fourth quarter but still beat investor expectations. The company has struggled with pricey product recalls and moving towards a subscription-focused revenue model. 

About 6.5 million people subscribe to Peloton’s membership programs, a 5 percent drop from the previous quarter.

The company went through mass layoffs in early 2022 as the company was wrecked by the end of a booming pandemic business, which ended in the resignation of its CEO and co-founder John Foley.

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McCarthy has attempted to re-orient the company’s revenue via leaning on the subscription model and adding a leading option for Peloton exercise equipment.

​Business, peloton A former Twitter executive will join Peloton as its chief product officer, the company announced Tuesday, replacing a company co-founder in the role. Nick Caldwell was named for the position on Tuesday, joining the leadership team of a company that has faced difficulty maintaining the rocketing growth it experienced during the COVID pandemic. “Nick brings…  

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Writers Guild of America to officially end strike on September 27, 2023 at 1:48 am Business News | The Hill

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The Writers Guild of America (WGA) will officially lift its strike on Wednesday, allowing Hollywood’s writers to return to work after a nearly five-month halt on most TV and film productions. 

The WGA said Tuesday it voted to lift the strike as of 12 a.m. PST, which will authorize Hollywood writers to return to work before voting next month on a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that represents studios, streaming services, and production companies in negotiations.

WGA’s negotiating committee, board and council on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of the tentative agreement, which will now go to both WGA’s East and West guilds where eligible voters will take it up for ratification on Oct. 2-9. 

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The three-year proposed deal, announced Sunday, came after five marathon days of talks by WGA and Hollywood studios. It includes a 5 percent minimum pay increase once the contract is ratified. Workers will receive another 4 percent bump in May 2024 and 2.5 percent in May 2025. 

The union said the deal also includes increase health and pension contribution rates and regulations over artificial intelligence (AI) on contract-covered projects. This means AI cannot write or rewrite material and AI-generated material will not be considered source material, a move that comes amid Hollywood writers’ push against AI. 

The guild also negotiated a new residual rate based on viewership, where high budget subscription video on demand series and films that are viewed by 20 percent or more of the service’s domestic subscribers in the first 90 days of release or in the first 90 days in any subsequent exhibition year will receive a bonus equal to 50 percent of the fixed domestic and foreign residual. 

This bonus structure will go into effect for projects released on or after Jan. 1, 2024, WGA said. 

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WGA suspended picketing on Sunday, but encouraged their writers to instead join the picket lines for SAG-AFTRA, the largest union for Hollywood actors. 

SAG-AFTRA began its strike in July after failing to reach an agreement with film studios, marking the first dual strike since 1960. Both unions demanded better wages and working conditions, as well as higher residual rates related to streaming. 

​Business, Hollywood strike, wga, Writers Guild of America, writers strike The Writers Guild of America (WGA) will officially lift its strike on Wednesday, allowing Hollywood’s writers to return to work after a nearly five-month halt on most TV and film productions. The WGA said Tuesday it voted to lift the strike as of 12 a.m. PST, which will authorize Hollywood writers to return to work before voting…  

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Ask Co-Founder of Netflix Marc Randolph Anything: How to Watch on September 26, 2023 at 6:50 pm Entrepreneur: Latest Articles

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How to watch the new live streaming episode of ‘Ask Marc.’

​Starting a Business How to watch the new live streaming episode of ‘Ask Marc.’  

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