Hyundai workers stop building SUV ahead of U.S. launch
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This is a protest against what the automaker’s labor union says are plans to trim assembly line headcount.
The union, which is also in annual talks with management over pay, warned that a wider strike was possible.
Hyundai has been in discussions with its labor union since October on production plans for the Kona, a key model that it hopes will reverse a U.S. sales slump.
The union contends that the automaker wants to introduce more automation and outsource more assembly of key sections to part makers - plans that it is vehemently opposed to.
Hyundai management argues that the union is making “irrelevant demands” such as requests for extra windows in the factory as part of the production discussions. ■