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FCA CEO Mike Manley will run Americas for Stellantis after PSA merger

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley will run operations in the Americas when his company merges with FranceÂ’s PSA Peugeot early next year. FCA Chairman John Elkann announced ManleyÂ’s new post on Friday in a letter to employees. ManleyÂ’s role in the merged company had been a mystery. PSA CEO Carlos Tavares will run the overall company, to be named Stellantis. Shareholders of both companies will vote on the merger Jan. 4 to seal the deal creating the worldÂ’s fourth-largest automaker. The merger is expected to be completed by the end of March. PSA will get six seats on the new companyÂ’s 11-member board, which will be chaired by Elkann. The Americas, especially the U.S., are key to the new companyÂ’s success. Fiat ChryslerÂ’s Jeep and Ram brands are highly profitable, and Tavares has long wanted to sell PSA vehicles in the U.S. Manley has been the Italian-American automakerÂ’s CEO for 2 1/2 years, taking over when Sergio Marchionne died in 2018. Stellantis will have the capacity to produce 8.7 million cars a year, just behind Volkswagen, the Renault-Nissan alliance and Toyota. Related Video: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot Mike Manley Stellantis

180,000 new vehicles are sitting, derailed by lack of transport trains

If you're planning on buying a new car in the next month or so, you might want to pick from what's on the lot, because there could be a long wait for new vehicles from the factory. Locomotives continue to be in short supply in North America, and that's causing major delays for automakers trying to move assembled cars.
According to The Detroit News, there are about 180,000 new vehicles waiting to be transported by rail in North America at the moment. In a normal year, it would be about 69,000. The complications have been industry-wide. Toyota, General Motors, Honda and Ford all reported experiencing some delays, and Chrysler recently had hundreds of minivans sitting on the Detroit waterfront waiting to be shipped out.
The problem is twofold for automakers. First, the fracking boom in the Bakken oil field in the Plains and Canada is monopolizing many locomotives. Second, the long, harsh winter is still causing major delays in freight train travel. The bad weather forced trains to slow down and carry less weight, which caused a backup of goods to transport. The auto companies resorted to moving some vehicles by truck, which was a less efficient but necessary option.

UAW ratifies FCA contract

The second time was apparently the charm for the proposed contract between the United Auto Workers and FCA US as 77 percent of union members have ratified the four-year deal, it was announced Thursday. "This agreement represents an investment in our US workforce and recognizes its contributions to the company's growth over the past six years." the automaker said in a statement. Now, the UAW must move forward on new arrangements with Ford and General Motors. After members rejected the original offer, UAW president Dennis Williams (pictured above, right) was positive about the new deal's acceptance. "The resolve of our membership and the dedication of our negotiating team has produced an agreement that affords UAW members a strong wage package and job security while still allowing the company to competitively produce high quality vehicles for our customers," he said in a statement. In contrast to the last offer, the new contract largely eliminates the two-tier wage system, and it's now it's possible to attain the same $29 per hour pay over eight years of employment. According to the Detroit Free Press, the deal also no longer limits FCA US from hiring entry-level workers. The original plan for a healthcare co-op across the Detroit automakers is also axed from the latest arrangement. While the strategy was supposed to lower costs, the potential changes weren't explained well to union members, and they rejected it. UAW FCA MEMBERS RATIFY NEW CONTRACT Featured / Negotiations / October 22, 2015 DETROIT – The members have voted to ratify a new four-year collective bargaining agreement with FCA by a 77% majority. The results of the voting are as follows: • Production workers – 77% • Skilled Trades – 72% • Salaried Bargaining Unit – 87% President Williams stated, "The recent bargaining process that took place on behalf of our members at FCA is a testament to the UAW's democratic values and commitment to our members. The resolve of our membership and the dedication of our negotiating team has produced an agreement that affords UAW members a strong wage package and job security while still allowing the company to competitively produce high quality vehicles for our customers." "UAW members at FCA have obtained a strong agreement that provides substantial wage gains, fairness in the workplace, and job security.