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UAW to expand strikes again if negotiations don’t progress: report

Credit: UAW

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According to a new report, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union is threatening to escalate strikes to include even more plants if negotiations with Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis don’t progress this week.

The UAW plans to announce an additional round of escalated strikes this Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern if substantial progress is not made in contract negotiations, according to a person familiar with the matter in a CNBC report. The news comes just after U.S. President Joe Biden visited a Michigan picket line in support of striking UAW workers this week and ahead of a Wednesday night event former President Donald Trump will hold at a nearby auto facility.

UAW President Shawn Fain is expected to follow last week’s announcement on Friday by hosting a Facebook Live event to disclose which plants will be targeted in updated strikes. Workers will then be expected to walk off the job at noon at those sites. If additional strikes are announced, it would represent the second wave of expanded strikes since previous contracts ended on September 14, with initial strikes beginning the following day.

Last Friday, the UAW expanded strikes to include an additional 38 Stellantis and GM auto parts and distribution centers, sparing Ford further strikes due to some contract demands being met. Despite avoiding increased strikes, Ford said there were still “significant gaps to close” in contract negotiations with the UAW in a statement on Monday.

The UAW is referring to the labor movement as the “stand-up strikes,” alluding to the “sit-down” strikes lodged by the union during the 1930s.

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President Biden visited a picket line at a GM Redistribution Center in Bellville on Tuesday, saying that he thought UAW workers deserved the 40-percent wage increase the union is calling for. Trump’s visit is expected to be with current and retired UAW workers at Drake Enterprises, a nearby auto plant that the UAW does not represent.

The strikes include around 18,300 workers across 20 U.S. states, representing 12.5 percent of the UAW’s 146,000 members. The strikes have already had ripple effects across the auto industry, forcing some non-striking factories to shut down due to associated parts supply issues and a lack of available work.

Ford paused construction on a battery plant for electric vehicles (EVs) in Michigan on Monday, and GM shut down an auto plant in Kansas last week, laying off 2,000 employees without unemployment benefits.

The UAW’s contract demands include the following:

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  • 40-percent wage increase over four years
  • 32-hour work weeks
  • Elimination of tiered wage systems requiring years to reach top wages
  • Restoration of traditional pension plans
  • Restoration of wage cost-of-living-adjustments (COLA)
  • Additional improved benefits including vacation, retirement and family leave

The strikes put non-unionized EV maker Tesla in a unique position, and some think the circumstances could significantly benefit the Elon Musk-led company amidst the global transition to EVs. Musk shared his thoughts on some of the UAW’s demands earlier this week, saying he thought a 40-percent wage increase and a 32-hour work week would be a “sure way to drive GM, Ford and Chrysler bankrupt in the fast lane.”

Ford CEO Jim Farley warns UAW proposal could force bankruptcy

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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Tesla begins Robotaxi certification push in Arizona: report

Tesla seems serious about expanding its Robotaxi service to several states in the coming months.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has initiated discussions with Arizona transportation regulators to certify its driverless Robotaxi service in the state, as per a recent report from Bloomberg News. The move follows Tesla’s launch of its Robotaxi pilot program in Austin, Texas, as well as CEO Elon Musk’s recent comments about the service’s expansion in the Bay Area.

The Arizona Department of Transportation confirmed to Bloomberg that Tesla has reached out to begin the certification process for autonomous ride-sharing operations in the state. While details remain limited, the outreach suggests that Tesla is serious about expanding its driverless Robotaxi service to several territories in the coming months.

The Arizona development comes as Tesla prepares to expand its service area in Austin this weekend, as per CEO Elon Musk in a post on X. Musk also stated that Tesla is targeting the San Francisco Bay Area as its next major market, with a potential launch “in a month or two,” pending regulatory approvals.

Tesla first launched its autonomous ride-hailing program on June 22 in Austin with a small fleet of Model Y vehicles, accompanied by a Tesla employee in the passenger seat to monitor safety. While still classified as a test, Musk has said the program will expand to about 1,000 vehicles in the coming months. Tesla will later upgrade its Robotaxi fleet with the Cyercab, a two-seater that is designed without a steering wheel.

Sightings of Cybercab castings around the Giga Texas complex suggests that Tesla may be ramping the initial trial production of the self-driving two-seater. Tesla, for its part, has noted in the past that volume production of the Cybercab is expected to start sometime next year.

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In California, Tesla has already applied for a transportation charter-party carrier permit from the state’s Public Utilities Commission. The company is reportedly taking a phased approach to operating in California, with the Robotaxi service starting with pre-arranged rides for employees in vehicles with safety drivers.

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Tesla sets November 6 date for 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting

The automaker announced the date on Thursday in a Form 8-K.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has scheduled its 2025 annual shareholder meeting for November 6, addressing investor concerns that the company was nearing a legal deadline to hold the event. 

The automaker announced the date on Thursday in a Form 8-K submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company also listed a new proposal submission deadline of July 31 for items to be included in the proxy statement.

Tesla’s announcement followed calls from a group of 27 shareholders, including the leaders of large public pension funds, which urged Tesla’s board to formally set the meeting date, as noted in a report from The Wall Street Journal

The group noted that under Texas law, where Tesla is now incorporated, companies must hold annual meetings within 13 months of the last one if requested by shareholders. Tesla’s previous annual shareholder meeting was held on June 13, 2024, which placed the July 13 deadline in focus.

Tesla originally stated in its 2024 annual report that it would file its proxy statement by the end of April. However, an amended filing on April 30 indicated that the Board of Directors had not yet finalized a meeting date, at least at the time.

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The April filing also confirmed that Tesla’s board had formed a special committee to evaluate certain matters related to CEO Elon Musk’s compensation plan. Musk’s CEO performance award remains at the center of a lengthy legal dispute in Delaware, Tesla’s former state of incorporation.

Due to the aftermath of Musk’s legal dispute about his compensation plan in Delaware, he has not been paid for his work at Tesla for several years. Musk, for his part, has noted that he is more concerned about his voting stake in Tesla than his actual salary.

At last year’s annual meeting, TSLA shareholders voted to reapprove Elon Musk’s compensation plan and ratified Tesla’s decision to relocate its legal domicile from Delaware to Texas.

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Grok coming to Tesla vehicles next week “at the latest:” Elon Musk

Grok’s rollout to Tesla vehicles is expected to begin next week at the latest.

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Credit: Tesla China

Elon Musk announced on Thursday that Grok, the large language model developed by his startup xAI, will soon be available in Tesla vehicles. Grok’s rollout to Tesla vehicles is expected to begin next week at the latest, further deepening the ties between the two Elon Musk-led companies.

Tesla–xAI synergy

Musk confirmed the news on X shortly after livestreaming the release of Grok 4, xAI’s latest large language model. “Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles very soon. Next week at the latest,” Musk wrote in a post on social media platform X.

During the livestream, Musk and several members of the xAI team highlighted several upgrades to Grok 4’s voice capabilities and performance metrics, positioning the LLM as competitive with top-tier models from OpenAI and Google.

The in-vehicle integration of Grok marks a new chapter in Tesla’s AI development. While Tesla has long relied on in-house systems for autonomous driving and energy optimization, Grok’s integration would introduce conversational AI directly into its vehicles’ user experience. This integration could potentially improve customer interaction inside Tesla vehicles.

xAI and Tesla’s collaborative footprint

Grok’s upcoming rollout to Tesla vehicles adds to a growing business relationship between Tesla and xAI. Earlier this year, Tesla disclosed that it generated $198.3 million in revenue from commercial, consulting, and support agreements with xAI, as noted in a report from Bloomberg News. A large portion of that amount, however, came from the sale of Megapack energy storage systems to the artificial intelligence startup.

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In July 2023, Musk polled X users about whether Tesla should invest $5 billion in xAI. While no formal investment has been made so far, 68% of poll participants voted yes, and Musk has since stated that the idea would be discussed with Tesla’s board.

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