The advance buzz around Drive, the movie about a Hollywood stunt driver played by Ryan Gosling, got me to thinking: We have lots of movies featuring cars, from Bullitt to The Fast and Furious, but where are the movies about car companies?
With General Motors having filed for bankruptcy, the question arises: What will the bankrupt company look like and how will it be different?
The current plans to restructure General Motors and Chrysler LLC will leave the United Auto Workers union in the driver's seat at both companies. But it appears that the union would rather be in the back seat.
The United Auto Workers union has reached a deal with the Treasury Department and General Motors on changing its labor contract with the troubled automaker, one of the key obstacles that needed to be cleared for GM to potentially avoid being forced into bankruptcy in the next two weeks.
My writing assignment in the winter of 2005-06 was to give Fortune's readers my opinion as to whether General Motors would go bankrupt. I reported the article for about nine weeks, going to Detroit three times and talking there and in New York to GM executives, analysts and car people of all kinds. I tried many times over to set up an appointment with Ron Gettelfinger, head of the United Automobile Workers. But he wouldn't agree to an interview, perhaps because of a story I had written earlier about Bethlehem Steel that he thought was unfriendly to unions (I didn't agree).
General Motors and the United Auto Workers union have agreed to eliminate a controversial program that kept workers at near full pay even when there was no work for them, the company confirmed Wednesday.
The United Auto Workers union said it is encouraged by the White House's decision to consider rescuing troubled auto companies by using funds set aside to bail out Wall Street.
The United Auto Workers agreed to work with the embattled U.S. automakers about changes in their labor contract, an important step for the industry's chance to win up to $34 billion in federal loans.
A national poll suggests that six in 10 Americans oppose using taxpayer money to help the ailing major U.S. auto companies.
The 'Big 3' automakers turned in financial plans to Congress hoping to bolster their requests for $25 billion in loans.
Auto industry executives were back on Capitol Hill Wednesday to ask for a federal bailout but they once again faced an uphill battle in winning the necessary support from Congress for a $25 billion loan package.
The United Auto Workers union called on Congress and the Bush administration on Thursday to get a loan to U.S. automakers to prevent their collapse before the legislature adjourns Friday.
The twin peaks of Steve Miller's auto career came 25 years apart - and both involved a bankruptcy.
The United Auto Workers union said early Saturday it reached a tentative four-year contract agreement with Ford Motor Co., avoiding even the threat of a strike
CNNMoney: Ford, UAW reach dealupdated: Sat Nov 03 2007 10:10:00
Negotiators at embattled Ford Motor Co. and the United Auto Workers union reached an agreement on a tentative labor pact early Saturday after marathon talks that went through two straight nights, becoming the only U.S. automaker to reach a deal this year without a brief strike.
Ferrari is branching out from Formula 1 to back a newer motor sport, A1GP, as CNN's Jim Boulden reports.
United Auto Worker's union President Ron Gettelfinger announced today that the UAW has reached a tentative agreement with Chrysler LLC.
The United Auto Workers union has new contracts with General Motors and Chrysler, and now it will move on to struggling Ford
Chrysler, which is in the process of trying to win cut cost in the marathon talks now taking place with the United Auto Workers union, will be looking to cut about 1,500 jobs out of its non-union staff as well.
General Motors' tentative labor deal with the United Auto Workers union includes guarantees that the automaker will continue to build cars and trucks at its remaining UAW-represented assembly lines, according to highlights of the agreement given to the union's local leadership Friday.
General Motors Corp. will put $29.9 billion into a fund for retiree healthcare and guarantee that cars and trucks will be built at 16 U.S. plants as part of its tentative contract agreement with the United Auto Workers, according to a summary of the agreement released Friday by the union.
General Motors Corp. shares edged up Friday as leaders of the United Auto Workers planned to brief union officials from factories across the nation on the terms of a historic new contract with the company.
The UAW ends its walkout, but now the union leadership has to sell the historic health plan to its membership
General Motors plants rumbled back to life Wednesday afternoon, after an early-morning labor deal with the United Auto Workers ended a two-day strike but left open some crucial questions about GM's future.
Negotiators from the United Auto Workers union and General Motors reached a tentative agreement on a groundbreaking deal early Wednesday to end a two-day strike by 73,000 workers, according to the union and the company.
The United Auto Workers union launched a nationwide strike against General Motors on Monday as 73,000 UAW members walked off the job and hit the picket lines at the nation's largest automaker.
The negotiations with GM were all about health care, but the union suddenly decided to strike over job security. Why?
The Detroit Three automakers all are struggling with declining U.S. market share, health care costs and bloated infrastructure, but they have unique issues that could make it difficult for the United Auto Workers to impose a contract with General Motors Corp. on Ford and Chrysler.
Bargainers for General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers resumed contract negotiations Monday amid optimism that they are getting closer to a contract agreement
Contract negotiations between General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers reached a critical point Sunday as local union officials hoped for an agreement but prepared once again for a possible strike on Monday.
General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers still faced significant hurdles at the bargaining table Sunday despite making progress at negotiations a day earlier.
United Auto Workers union President Ron Gettelfinger has told members of his bargaining team that he is willing to agree to the creation of a union-controlled trust fund to assume responsibility for nearly $100 billion in retiree health care costs, according to a published report.
Contract talks between the United Auto Workers and the Detroit Three could run beyond a Sept. 14 deadline because so many issues are unsettled, including the companies' desire to pay the union to take over retiree health care, a person briefed on the bargaining said.
The carmaker's new owners hope he can, but he'll have to convince financial skeptics as well as a balky union
Robert Nardelli, who was named to head Chrysler LLCMonday by its new owner Cerberus Capital Management, declined to detail his compensation package, but said it would be tied to the automaker's progress in its turnaround.
The survival of brands like Chevrolet, Ford and Chrysler could very well depend on whether the United Auto Workers union is willing to assume a $100 billion headache.
General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. began talks with the United Auto Workers union Monday, hoping to win sweeping concessions that would slash labor costs for the struggling auto industry.
United Auto Workers chief Ron Gettelfinger said Wednesday that the union is not heading into the upcoming labor negotiations with U.S. automakers in a "concessionary mode."
Among the many lessons to be drawn from DaimlerChrysler's decision to sell Chrysler: the private equity firms with the best-connected c-suite executives have the edge in the now common bidding wars for deals.
The most surprising part of the Chrysler sales announcement Monday was the vote of support for the sale of the automaker to Cerberus Capital Management voiced by by Ron Gettelfinger, the president of the United Auto Workers union.
Give DaimlerChrysler and Cerberus credit for moving quickly to work out a deal for Chrysler. Auto companies are complicated beasts and letting Chrysler dangle in the wind was in nobody's best interest.
DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche confirmed Wednesday that the company is talking with potential buyers who he said have a "clear interest" in buying its money-losing Chrysler unit, but he would not give details of discussions and said all options for the No. 4 U.S. automaker are still on the table.
United Auto Workers union President Ron Gettelfinger vowed to fight to protect his battered membership's interests, but did not close the door on future concessions to help stem the losses among U.S. automakers.
Heads of the world's largest auto companies said Wednesday they are ready to work with lawmakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions but stopped well short of endorsing calls to raise fuel economy standards drastically.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally said the company needs painful concessions from the United Auto Workers union, but not an alliance with rival Toyota Motor, to complete its turnaround efforts, according to published reports.
The head of the United Auto Workers union promised to work with bankrupt auto parts makers and troubled U.S. automakers to help turn around the struggling sector, but also said that the industry can not downsize itself to success.
General Motors Corp. is ramping up production despite weak sales to prepare for a possible strike at Delphi, its largest supplier, according to a published report.
The United Auto Workers union, which earlier this week reached an agreement to save General Motors Corp. about $1 billion a year in health care costs, has filed a lawsuit against the automaker that challenges that agreement.
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