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Workers at Mississippi auto supplier protesting low wages

Workers at an automotive seat factory in Mississippi are protesting what they say are low wages and poor working conditions as they attempt to unionize in what could become a new front for the United Auto Workers in the state. A group of workers and supporters at the Faurecia SA seating plant in Cleveland plans a Tuesday march. "We work an auto job and we're getting paid like Wal-Mart wages," said Jamarqus Reed, a 32-year-old Pace resident who has worked at the plant for almost 10 years. "We're trying to better ourselves." Nationally, the UAW has staked its future on unionizing Southern auto factories, with limited success so far. The union has been trying to organize Nissan Motor Co.'s Canton, MS, plant for years, and lost a 2008 worker vote at a Johnson Controls plant in nearby Madison that French-based Faurecia bought in 2011. The UAW narrowly lost a unionization vote at the Volkswagen AG plant in Chattanooga, TN, last year, but the union has since qualified for a new labor policy at the plant that grants access to meeting space and to regular discussions with management. The policy stops short of collective bargaining rights. The union is also trying to organize Nissan's assembly plant in Smyrna, TN, and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, AL. Protesters say Faurecia employees make a top wage of $11.64 per hour, while contract workers make $7.73 an hour. Company spokesman Tony Sapienza said that with overtime, the typical Faurecia employee makes more than the $27,000 a year that is the median wage around Cleveland. Wages are often low in the heavily impoverished Delta. "We are very confident that we are offering a very competitive wage," Sapienza said. Organizers criticize use of lower-paid contract workers Shannon Greenidge, a 44-year-old Cleveland resident, said she worked for a labor agency for more than two years before being hired directly by Faurecia. Greenidge said she makes $9.29 an hour, and can't save for retirement or to send her 11-year-old daughter to college. "That's not going to help me down the line in life," she said. Union supporters say as many as half the workers at the plant work for a contract-labor agency. Sapienza said that while the number varies, the company expects 15 percent of its workforce will be temporary employees this year. The UAW has organized some Southern auto parts plants in recent years, including Faurecia plants in Cottondale, Alabama, in 2012 and Louisville, Kentucky in 2013.

10 electric cars we’re excited are coming soon

If you were considering buying an electric vehicle a couple years ago, we wouldn't fault you for thinking your options were limited, both in terms of quantity and quality. You just might not have been able to find an electric car that would suit your needs, lifestyle or budget. With the newest generation of EVs that have launched in the past year or two, your options have changed — and improved — dramatically. If you still don't see an EV you like, just wait a little while longer. It won't take long. There are a whole lot more on the horizon, and the problem may soon be in narrowing down your options. To give you an example, here are 10 electric vehicles we're excited about that you'll be able to buy very soon, from GM, from Germany, from Japan and more. Some of these will be available by the end of the year, and all are expected to launch by the end of 2023. The Chevy trio: 2024 Blazer EV, Equinox EV and Silverado EV GM is stepping into the future with strong footing. Following high-end electric launches from GMC (Hummer EV) and Cadillac (Lyriq), Chevrolet is bringing three electric vehicles with familiar nameplates. The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV (above left) will offer a number of versions, starting with the 2LT and RS trims in the summer of 2023, followed by the 557-horsepower SS in the fall and the base 1LT in early 2024. The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV (above right) will go on sale in fall 2023 as a limited-edition model, with volume sales ramping up in 2024, with a base cost of “around $30,000.” For those who prefer a bed to a liftgate, the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV is an electric pickup that looks more like the old Chevy Avalanche than the current Silverado. The WT (work truck) trim launches in fall 2023, while the 664-horsepower RST will follow in 2024. Read more: 5 new electric car companies coming in 2023 and beyond 2023 BMW i7 BMW revealed the all-electric 2023 i7 luxury sedan alongside the gas-powered 7 Series. It should go on sale before the end of 2022. The i7 xDrive60 will be the only variant, with its two motors providing a total of 536 horsepower and 549 pound-feet of torque, and its battery expected to offer a range of about 300 miles. Just like its internal combustion counterpart, this full-size sedan wonÂ’t come cheap, with the i7 starting at $120,295. 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Following the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60, the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 will be the fourth car using Hyundai GroupÂ’s E-GMP electric car architecture.

Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet fetches record $1.4 million at auction

Alas, G-Wagen fans: The last available 2017 Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet has sold to a private Belgian buyer, with all proceeds to benefit the children's sports charity the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The price tag at the Zoute Sale at Bonhams was a record ˆ1.2 million, or about $1.4 million. We previously dubbed the luxury off-roader " the ultimate safari machine" for its super-extravagant features. Its soft top can be raised or lowered electronically, as can a glass partition to the driver's compartment (wouldn't be a Landaulet without that, now would it, Jeeves?). What's more, the two rear seats can be fully reclined, with leg rests extending from below, and with access to folding tables, 10-inch LCD screen and heated, cooled and illuminated (!) cup holders. As it has the number 650 in its name, however, the Landaulet also features a twin-turbocharged V12 that generates 630 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Bringing up the G-Wagen part of the bargain is a four-wheel-drive system with front, center, and rear differential locks, that sends power to solid portal axles front and rear, which move the differential and drive axles above the wheel centers for additional ground clearance. The grandest G sold Friday in Brussels was reportedly straight from the factory and one of only 99 to be built. No G650 Landaulets were sold in the United States. The Bonhams Motoring Department's fifth annual Zoute Sale also saw the purchase of a 1968 Ferrari 365 GTC Coupe for ˆ805,000 euros ($945,000), the second most-valuable lot of the sale. Related Video: