Woke up to this..... Ford pauses work on $3.5 bln battery plant in Michigan | Reuters Doesn't seem so long ago we were reading.... Ford Gets $9.2 Billion for EV Battery Plant in Biden Green Tech Push I drove by one of the plant sites and....yeah. 3.2 billion buys a really REALLY BIG PLANT! SO..... Why the work stoppage???? Standing up to UAW thuggery? Wedding day jitters? Bidenomics? ...thoughts?
Ford pausing work on $3.5 billion Michigan electric vehicle battery plant | CNN Business "“We’re pausing work and limiting spending on construction on the Marshall project until we’re confident about our ability to competitively operate the plant,” said Reid in an emailed statement. “There are a number of considerations.” Ford, along with General Motors and Stellantis, is currently facing a strike by the United Auto Workers. Reid would not say whether the UAW contract negotiations were among the considerations mentioned."
I was struck by why the original Henry Ford started paying a 'living wage.' Raising the pay reduces the turn-over. If workers get paid the same for flipping burgers, they will just as easily leave with whatever skills they learned. Retaining skilled workers is a significant asset as Autoline reports a worker who leaves costs ~$18,000 in lost skills. Tesla is a modern example: Lucid - started by at least one former Tesla engineer. Rivian - actively recruits Tesla employees and Tesla sued. XPeng - former Tesla employee took Autopilot code to them. Tesla employee stock - the most effective anti-union tactic. When I worked for General Electric, I took a course in 'union avoidance.' Along with treating employees decently, they said 'pay is about employee retention.' I resigned four times from GE and without any mention by me, the first three re-hires came with a pay increase. Resignation reasons: New wife was incompatible with security rules - Holly stayed with me 43 years. Personality conflict with supervisor - in charge of an operating system group. Project coming to an end - they let me sell something I'd cobbled together. Holly wanted to stay in Huntsville with her friends and me - the project moved to Florida. Bob Wilson
I respect that pay is primary to yourself - I have worked with many who expressed the same sentiment. Might add that research shows pay is not the primary happiness indicator of content employees . This article doesn't cover the full depth of the subject but it does begin to scratch the surface What Matters More to Your Workforce than Money (hbr.org) "One of the most striking results we’ve found is that, across all income levels, the top predictor of workplace satisfaction is not pay: It is the culture and values of the organization, followed closely by the quality of senior leadership and the career opportunities at the company. Among the six workplace factors we examined, compensation and benefits were consistently rated among the least important factors of workplace happiness."
An ARS article speaks to this, including two other Ford battery plants not paused: Ford pauses work on $3.5 billion battery factory in Michigan | Page 2 | Ars OpenForum
Yes, their new Battery Plant in our state is progressing well and right on their target timeline. The state is a right to work state and has a number of non-union Auto Manufacturers and non-union Auto Suppliers. If they wanted to cancel construction on their Michigan Plant and expand their Plant here they will be welcomed with open arms, tax incentives and a ready and willing skilled workforce.
