A big sticking point in contract talks between Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers union is the popular assertion that it takes fewer workers to manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) than conventional cars.
The union should be pushing hard for education and skill training beyond just car assembly. Unions need to look out for labor behind the traditional boundaries. Labor is critical and lots of things need to be updated to support EVs.
100%. One of the reasons I didn't join a union as a skilled worker is that I don't want to be locked into doing the same exact thing for the rest of my career.
They should have learned that with the near collapse of the American auto industry during the '07-08 financial crisis. Automated manufacturing has been part of the auto industry for nearly 40 years and it's just going to continue to whittle away at jobs on the assembly line.