Michigan is home to an auto industry that is navigating rough waters due to economic challenges. These hurdles have been intensified with the announcement of massive layoffs by Stellantis, a prominent manufacturer of Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles. Recently, they declared a job cut of 2,450 workers at their plant located in Warren. Although the auto industry in the state has been experiencing a downturn since 1990, many Michigan auto workers are attributing the current crisis to the Biden-led administration’s insistence on transitioning to electric vehicles.
The electric vehicle mandates have had a direct impact on the job market. Ford, in response to these mandates, scaled back on their Lightning electric truck production, leading to a trimming of over 1,000 positions in March. This has left workers like Isaiah Gordon, who specializes in hybrid batteries at Ford’s Rawsonville plant, disillusioned. The harsh reality for them is the prospect of job loss amidst a push for an industry that they believe isn’t prepared for a consolidated transition.
Workers like Gordon are faced with the unsettling consequences of a forced transition. He openly shared that while he and his peers are grateful for their current employment, the rapid push to develop electric vehicles is causing job cuts, disrupting lives and families. They are concerned about their future in an industry that seems to be pivoting away from their expertise and compelling them to learn new skills or face unemployment.
Chris Vitale, an experienced technician mechanic for Chrysler, shares these sentiments. He points out that electric cars, despite their touted advantages, require significantly less labor to construct than their gas-powered counterparts. This stark contrast in workload equates to less job availability for skilled workers like himself. Creating an electric motor, according to Vitale, doesn’t require the same degree of craftsmanship as traditional mechanics.
Government officials like Rep. Lisa McClain are amplifying these concerns. They are dismayed to see that the Biden administration’s aggressive stance towards transitioning to electric vehicles is negatively affecting local auto workers. The fallout from this transition is palpable in places like Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, where over 1,000 jobs were cut after they scaled back production of the F-150 Lightning, an all-electric pickup truck.
Beyond the labor cuts, auto workers are also reeling from the steep emissions standards introduced under the Biden-Harris Administration. These standards, described as nearly impossible to meet, are forcing automakers into a corner. The stringent regulations are pressuring the industry to increase production of EVs, irrespective of the demand from consumers.
Even hybrids aren’t seen as an adequate solution given the current regulations. Vitale used the Ford hybrid escape, a hybrid electric vehicle, as an example of the inadequacies of these new standards. He emphasizes the carbon footprint of even these smaller hybrids are still massively exceeding the standard set for emission regulations.
In a recent gesture towards assuaging the concerns of the employees, Stellantis announced an injection of $406 million into their Michigan plants. Despite being touted as a concession to the union, Vitale remains unconvinced, stating prior commitments made were not fulfilled. In his experience, the promises made by auto companies are not concrete and can be changed on a whim.
Furthermore, the transition to electric vehicles is leading major American companies into a predicament of stockpile issues. Corporations are finding it increasingly challenging to offload their inventory, with vehicles piling up to the extent that additional properties are being leased to accommodate them. According to Vitale, this issue is being faced by all three domestic auto manufacturers.
Despite the mounting skepticism, Kamala Harris stood her ground in the September 10 presidential debate by endorsing the administration’s commitment to a ‘clean energy economy’., emphasizing their trillion-dollar investment initiative. Her stance was taken in spite of the ongoing struggles faced by the traditional auto industry workforce due to the hurried transition.
Adding another layer of complexity to the situation is the political division within the United Auto Workers (UAW) itself. Union leadership remains strongly Democratic, which is seen by many of its member constituents as posing a threat to their livelihoods.
One such worker, Gordon, expressed his disappointment in the UAW’s lack of bipartisan outreach. He feels the union’s staunch endorsement of Democrats is unlike the more diverse political ideologies of its members, creating a fracture in the organization.
Vitale adds that the assumptions about auto workers’ voting preferences aren’t straightforward. An endorsement from the UAW doesn’t necessarily translate into collective support for the Democrats. Many of their members are critically assessing the situation and questioning the endorsement of policies that seem to jeopardize their job stability.
Despite the endorsement from UAW President Shawn Fain, several auto workers are questioning his and the union leadership’s support for an administration that they perceive as detrimental to their industry. As this sense of disconnect between union leadership and grassroots members continues to widen, the perceived trajectory of the auto industry under the current democrats becomes increasingly fraught with skepticism.