A lot of the big trends in the economy right now are converging in the auto sector, and the negotiations over new contracts for autoworkers at the Big Three carmakers: Ford, GM, and Stellantis. 

You’ve got the conflict between workers and employers over wages, and some evidence that workers may have more leverage than they’ve had in a long time. You’ve got the clean energy transition, with the rise of EVs and what that means for the industry and people who work in it. And you’ve got the push to manufacture more things onshore again, and preserve an industry that’s been an engine for middle-class jobs for decades.

On today’s show Jim Stanford joins us to explain how all these issues are playing a role in the negotiations between Unifor and UAW and the Big Three, and what autoworkers want to see in their new contracts. Jim is an economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work, and spent 20 years as Economist and Director of Policy for the union formerly known as the Canadian Auto Workers (and now known as Unifor). 

Note: This episode was recorded prior to the Unifor strike at the GM facilities in Ontario.

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