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UAW chooses FCA as lead bargaining company

The United Auto Workers has chosen Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as its lead bargaining company as it seeks to finalize new contracts with the 140,000 or so workers represented by the union. That doesn't mean the UAW won't continue to talk with Ford and General Motors. "All three companies have been working with UAW bargaining teams toward a collective bargaining agreement and continue to do so," UAW President Dennis Williams said in a statement. It does mean, however, that any deal the UAW strikes with FCA will form the basis of bargaining talks with the other two American automakers. Contracts between the UAW and the Detroit Three automakers are set to expire tonight at midnight. If no deal is made, both parties may vote to extend the previous contract. Industry analysts polled by The Detroit News suggest that a deal with FCA might be the most difficult to reach, since it is the smallest and least profitable of the three US car companies, and because of its high percentage of second-tier workers. There's a super short statement on the matter from the UAW, and there's an equally concise confirmation from FCA. Feel free to read them below. Detroit – The UAW this afternoon announced that FCA US LLC will be the lead target in Big Three auto talks. "All three companies are working hard toward a collective bargaining agreement. At this time, the UAW has selected FCA US LLC to be the lead bargaining company," said Dennis Williams, President of the UAW. "All three companies have been working with UAW bargaining teams toward a collective bargaining agreement and continue to do so." -------- Statement regarding the Status of Contract Talks between FCA US LLC and the UAW FCA US LLC confirms that it has been selected as the company to set pattern on a collective bargaining agreement with the UAW. As negotiations are ongoing, the Company can offer no further comment at this time.

FCA fibbed on sales according to internal report

Following last week's news that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is under investigation by the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly fudging sales figures, a new report in Automotive News says an internal investigation at FCA uncovered misreported sales. According to the AN story, 5,000 to 6,000 vehicles from various FCA brands were reported sold by dealers, but no customers existed for those cars. FCA sales chief Reid Bigland has already put a stop to the practice. One potential reason for the practice was to maintain the company's month-to-month sales increase streak, currently at 75 months. In April, FCA added a lengthy disclaimer to its sales announcements: "FCA US reported vehicle sales represent sales of its vehicles to retail and fleet customers, as well as limited deliveries of vehicles to its officers, directors, employees and retirees. Sales from dealers to customers are reported to FCA US by dealers as sales are made on an ongoing basis through a new vehicle delivery reporting system that then compiles the reported data as of the end of each month. "Sales through dealers do not necessarily correspond to reported revenues, which are based on the sale and delivery of vehicles to the dealers. In certain limited circumstances where sales are made directly by FCA US, such sales are reported through its management reporting system." FCA did not provide comment to Automotive News. Click through for the full story and more details. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Government/Legal Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM sales Sergio Marchionne FCA USDOJ reid bigland

NHTSA preparing to wallop FCA, automaker 'failed to do its job'

As embattled the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may be, but that certainly doesn't mean it isn't willing or able to put the smack down on automakers that violate its recall procedures. Following a public hearing on Thursday, the government safety arm is preparing what will likely be some very serious punishments for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. FCA stands accused of mishandling 23 individual recalls covering some 11 million vehicles since 2013, with NHTSA claiming the Italian-American automaker kept it "in the dark," failing to notify the government of safety defects. Uncle Sam also alleges that FCA failed to notify consumers of important safety notices and didn't provide a steady supply of replacement parts. For these charges, the automaker could be fined up to $35 million per recall, which could mean a maximum of $805 million in fines. FCA could also be forced to buy back the unrepaired vehicles. "We have serious concerns with Fiat Chrysler notifications to owners and to NHTSA about its recalls. In every one of the 23 recalls, we have identified ways in which Fiat Chrysler failed to do its job," Jennifer Timian, the head of the Office of Defects Investigation, said during the FCA hearing, The Detroit News reports. The company also "repeatedly failed to provide NHTSA with other critical information about its recalls, including changes to the vehicles impacted by the recalls and its plans for remedying those vehicles." Fiat Chrysler, for its part, didn't really fight back during its hearing, although Scott Kunselman (shown above during the hearing), the senior vice president of vehicle safety and regulatory affairs at FCA, did tell The News that, "We absolutely had no mis-intent." "The plan is to move forward," Kunselman said, adding that the company has "fallen short," and that "some of the things we've done were sloppy." NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind told The News that the regulator would issue its sanctions by the end of July, adding that he saw no way that FCA could avoid punishment.