BCN-03 US union rips Ford plan to move electric vehicles to Mexico

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US union rips Ford plan to move electric vehicles to Mexico

DETROIT, Dec 21, 2017 (BSS/AFP) – The United Auto Workers chief on Wednesday
blasted Ford’s decision to send production of electric vehicles to Mexico,
out of its home base in Michigan.

UAW President Dennis Williams also complained that the massive tax bill
approved by Congress on Wednesday failed to provide funding to key
investments to make the US more competitive.

“I’m not happy with Ford,” Williams told reporters at the union’s
headquarters. “I think we’re missing a huge opportunity in this country.”

Ford announced earlier this month that it planned to shift production of
electric vehicles to Mexico, reversing a previous decision to produce the
cars at its Flat Rock, Michigan plant.

The company said the decision allows it to make room at Flat Rock to
manufacture self-driving cars. It will boost the intended investment there to
$900 million, creating 850 jobs, according to press reports.

But it also comes amid uncertainty surrounding the North American Free
Trade Agreement and the potential impact on the continent’s integrated auto
industry as President Donald Trump’s administration presses for more US
production.

Some analysts have said moving electric vehicle production to Mexico takes
advantage of cheaper labor costs.

Williams said he believes the Trump administration’s efforts to revise
NAFTA will fail unless something is done to raise the wages of Mexican
workers.

“They’re focused on rules of origin and all that,” he said. “But one thing
you have to demand (is) a different standard of living for Mexican workers,”
Williams said of the ongoing talks.

“General Motors, Ford Motor Co, FCA, Nissan and Toyota could set an example
by their wages. You don’t need any changes in NAFTA for them to do that,” he
said.

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The labor leader also said the tax bill approved by the Republican-led
Congress along party lines Wednesday does nothing to encourage investment in
the US in areas like education and technology to better compete with
companies in Europe and Asia.

“There will be an upswing but the wealthy are going to throw it into Wall
Street not Main Street,” he said.

“Our society, as a whole, is not going to be prepared for the next
generation of technology and the next generation of science. We are not
giving our children the opportunity to have the finest education in the
world.”

BSS/AFP/SR/1650 HRS