Talks between the United Auto Workers labor union and the Big Three Detroit automakers — Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler — are heating up this week.
While the outcome of these negotiations are impossible to predict, here are five articles to read that’ll make you an instant automotive labor relations expert.
- Automotive News on UAW choosing FCA as the lead company: Before negotiations can really begin, the UAW has to choose which of the three automakers it will do the bulk of its negotiations with. This column details why the UAW picked FCA, the smallest of the Detroit 3, to be that company.
- The Atlantic on what the UAW learned from the recession: This article looks at how the UAW has remained relevant in a business environment where unions have become less powerful.
- Crain’s Detroit on the broader impact of the negotiations: A column detailing how the UAW talks will have an impact on the broader labor movement.
- The Wall Street Journal on UAW’s hardline: Union leaders said recently these talks wouldn’t include more give-backs. Here’s why that matters.
- The Detroit News on how union members feel: Some rank-and-file union members are upset by silence from their leadership. (This article was written before FCA had been chosen as the lead company).
Bonus: Read Fortune’s April 2014 piece on the UAW’s trouble gathering support in the American south.