Economy
A day after striking at Sterling Heights Stellantis plant, UAW expands to Arlington GM site
As an escalating workers’ strike heads toward its sixth week, about 5,000 union members at General Motors’ Arlington Assembly in Texas on Tuesday joined the United Auto Workers (UAW) walkout against the Detroit Three. The UAW described the action as an effort against “General Motors’ largest plant and biggest moneymaker.” Workers there build the Chevrolet […]
Beshear makes surprise visit to striking autoworkers in Louisville
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear brought a box of fresh sandwiches to striking UAW Local 862 members outside the Ford Truck Plant in Louisville on Wednesday, reports a posting on the Kentucky AFL-CIO website. “Folks, I’m Andy Beshear and I’m the proud pro-union governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” he announced to cheers and applause from […]
UAW focuses on soaring CEO pay in strike for better wages at the Detroit Three
The United Auto Workers union’s strike against the Detroit Three for higher wages, more paid time off, and the elimination of tiered workers, which is in its fourth week, has drawn attention to the vast differences in pay between autoworkers and executives at auto manufacturers. The union has frequently spoken out about the gulf between […]
Report: Flood insurance cost a barrier to Eastern Kentucky recovery
The cost of flood insurance is a large recovery barrier for people living in Eastern Kentucky flood plains, says a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Researcher Matt Klesta reported what locals have said: Flood insurance is too expensive for most residents. Also, floods have made affordable housing problems worse and driven locals […]
UAW ‘changes the rules’ as strike drags on, tells members to prepare for walkouts at any time
Four weeks into the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against the Detroit Three automakers, union President Shawn Fain announced in a livestream that the union would no longer wait until Fridays to expand its strike to new plants. “We’re entering a new phase of this fight, and it demands a new approach,” Fain said Friday. […]
At Ford’s most lucrative plant, strikers say they don’t see their share of the profits
LOUISVILLE — Tim Heil never expected Ford’s most profitable plant to go on strike, yet on Thursday morning he and dozens of others were on the picket line in front of the sprawling Kentucky Truck Plant. The walkout of about 8,700 workers in Kentucky came as a surprise Wednesday night after United Auto Workers President […]
Wolfe judge-exec says noise barrier planned for suspected crypto ‘mine’
Wolfe County Judge-Executive Raymond Banks says a Houston company running a new data center — suspected to be a cryptocurrency mining facility — in his Eastern Kentucky county plans to erect a barrier to dampen its constant noise which has drawn complaints from neighbors for weeks. But Banks says he opposes calls for the county […]
Lack of oversight on transmission spending leads to higher electric bills, consumer advocate says
Electric customers have fallen into a “regulatory gap” that’s allowed billions of dollars of transmission construction to happen without oversight of need, prudence or cost effectiveness, according to a complaint filed with federal regulators by the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel. And though the complaint to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was made on […]
United Auto Workers go on strike against Mack Trucks in three states
Members of United Auto Workers walked off the job Monday morning at Mack Truck facilities in three states, after rejecting a tentative contract agreement with the company. According to a statement from UAW, 73% of the 4,000 workers voted to reject the tentative agreement with Greensboro, N.C.-based Mack, which was reached shortly ahead of an […]
In a rural Kentucky community, the roar of a suspected crypto ‘mine’ never ends
WOLFE COUNTY — She couldn’t see it through the trees on a recent late September morning, but she’s felt its presence for weeks on end.? Up the hill across from her home along the Wolfe-Lee county line, 76-year-old Brenda Campbell can hear through the leaves a constant, high-pitched whirring that rivals the cicada screeches in […]
Jobs report surprises as employers add 336,000 jobs in September
Employers continued their hiring streak in September, surprising economists by boosting jobs for workers in restaurants, health care, and government. The? Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report, released? Friday, showed a gain of 336,000 jobs. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.8%. The BLS also revised up the jobs added in July and August […]
UAW head says GM has committed to a ‘just transition’ for engine workers?
Three weeks into the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike, UAW President Shawn Fain announced a “transformative win,” on a Friday livestream, with General Motors agreeing to place its battery manufacturers under its master agreement with the union. Before going on the livestream on social media — which was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., but […]