auto worker news stories on Newser

Mechanic Offers a Nobel Prize for an Oil Change

Harry Kimball — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:30:00 CST

A Texas car mechanic has turned President Obama’s unlikely Nobel Peace Prize into an even unlikelier promotion, and his conservative customers are loving it. At Horizon Auto in Rockwall County, an oil change comes with a Nobel—well, a sticker with a picture of the prize. And these stirring words:...

Hard Times Catch Up with Well-Heeled Jobless

Rob Quinn — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:07:30 CST

Time and money is finally beginning to run out for large numbers of people who lost their jobs, and have been living off hefty severance packages for up to two years. Many workers who received generous exit packages from the financial and auto industries kept on spending the way they...

Ex-Autoworkers Retool for Lower Paying Jobs

Rob Quinn — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:42:10 CDT

Hundreds of thousands of ex-autoworkers left adrift by the industry's implosion are having to learn new skills and get used to lower pay, the Washington Post reports. Community colleges in the auto industry's heartland are jam-packed with midlife workers aiming to qualify quickly to become truck drivers, computer technicians or...

Jeep Wrangler Is Star of Reborn Chrysler

Ambreen Ali — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:02:02 CDT

With the Fiat-Chrysler alliance finalized, workers must get hopping to churn out more Jeep Wranglers, the military-vehicle-turned-adventure-ride that’s one of just three American cars whose sales are up this year. It’s “probably one of the main reasons why Chrysler is still here,” an auto analyst tells the Toledo Blade . And...

GM, UAW Cut Deal on Labor, Health Care

Wesley Oliver — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:44:41 CDT

Monitored by the Treasury department, General Motors and the United Auto Workers have reached a tentative deal to modify conditions of their labor contract and retiree health care trust, which could save the flatlining automaker more than $1 billion. Still, Chapter 11 bankruptcy remains likely for GM, and union reps...

Sweden to Saab: Tough Luck

Clay Dillow — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:34:00 CDT

As governments around the world have propped up their automobile companies, typically paternalistic Sweden has answered Saab’s plea for help with an unexpected reply: “No.” No bailout, no takeover. The town of Trollhattan in southwest Sweden now faces economic catastrophe akin to Detroit’s decline as its 54,000 people will...

Recession Lifts Auto Repair Shops

Matt Cantor — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:16:36 CDT

For car mechanics, the recession has its perks: Americans are flocking to repair shops to ensure their vehicles run longer in tough times, CNNMoney reports. Automotive Service Association members have seen a 16% boost in sales compared to last year. “In relative terms, that $1,000 repair to keep a...

Ohioan Charged in 29K Nazi Camp Deaths

Harry Kimball — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:03:01 CDT

A retired Ohio autoworker born in Ukraine is facing charges in the murder of 29,000 Jews during World War II, the AP reports. German authorities allege John Demjanjuk was a guard at the Sobibor concentration camp in Poland between March and September 1943. Demjanjuk, 88, maintains his innocence. He...