UAW strike limits damage to Detroit 3 — for now
The strike’s impact could increase quickly if the UAW follows through on its plan to escalate the strike and ramp up pressure on the automakers at the bargaining table.
Biden sending aides to Detroit to address autoworkers strike, says ‘record profits’ should be shared
By JOSH BOAK (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday dispatched two of his top aides to Detroit to help resolve the strike by unionized autoworkers, expressing sympathy for the union by suggesting that the Big 3 automakers should share their “record profits.”
“No one wants to strike,” Biden said in brief remarks at the White House. “But I respect workers’ right to use their options under the collective bargaining system, and I understand the workers’ frustration.”
The United Auto Workers announced a targeted strike of 13,000 workers at three factories after failing to reach a contract with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. Biden said he is sending acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and senior aide Gene Sperling to Detroit to help reach a “win-win” contract for the companies and their employees.
Biden said that when negotiations began, he encouraged leaders of the two sides to stay at the bargaining table as long as possible. Just a fraction of the UAW’s 146,000 members employed by the Big 3 are striking. The UAW is seeking 36% wage increases over four years. GM and Ford have proposed 20%, while Stellantis, formerly Fiat Chrysler, has put forward 17.5%
Dealers begin to put UAW strike planning into action
With the UAW launching its strike against all Detroit 3 automakers and halting production at three vehicle assembly plants, dealers are putting monthslong contingency plans into action.
Florida unemployment rate holds steady at 2.7% in August
TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s unemployment rate stayed at 2.7% in August for a second consecutive month.
For the Orlando, Kissimmee and Sanford region, the rate was 3.1%.
An estimated 303,000 Floridians qualified as unemployed in August, 8,000 more than in July, while the labor force grew by 41,000 to 11.12 million, the state Department of Commerce’s report said Friday.
Jimmy Heckman, the department’s chief of workforce statistics and economic research, said the numbers “signal a healthy labor market that continues to grow and attract new workers.”
The figures reflect conditions in mid-August before the Category 3 Hurricane Idalia made landfall Aug. 30 in Taylor County and caused widespread damage in rural North Florida.
The latest numbers were driven in part by education and health-services jobs, which increased by 6.3% over the past year, while positions in the leisure and hospitality sectors were up 3.5% during the same time.
Manufacturing jobs grew by 3.2%, while construction jobs were up 0.7% over the past year and went up by 500 from July to August.
Citizens cuts proposed rate hike, but it’s still double digits for many homeowners
TALLAHASSEE — Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has slightly reduced its proposed rate increases, but many homeowners will likely still see double-digit hikes starting late this year.
Citizens last week sent a proposal to the state Office of Insurance Regulation that would lead to an average 11.5% increase for homeowners with the most common type of multi-peril policy, according to information slated to be presented to the Citizens Board of Governors on Sept. 27.
When other types of personal-lines residential policies are factored in, such as wind-only and those for mobile homes, the average increase would be 12.3%. Various types of commercial policies, including condominium association policies, are expected to see an average increase of 10.2%.
Citizens made revisions after the Office of Insurance Regulation last month took issue with parts of an earlier rate proposal and ordered some reductions. The revisions were aimed at addressing regulators’ objections, though Citizens had not received a final sign-off, Citizens spokesman Michael Peltier said.