(New York) Stellantis has told more than 3,500 of its employees in the United States that they could soon lose their jobs, according to a spokesperson, a measure attributed by the automaker to new standards promoting the energy transition.
The group notified 2,455 employees at its Mack site in Detroit (Michigan) and 1,225 at its Toledo (Ohio) site, under an obligation provided for by the Warn Act, a federal law.
However, Stellantis expects the number of actual job cuts to be “significantly lower” in Detroit and “a little lower” in Toledo, the spokesperson explained to AFP on Friday.
This social plan is intended to “manage vehicle sales (produced by the two sites) to comply with Californian emissions regulations, which are measured state by state”, it was detailed, from the same source.
Some 13 American states have joined California in adopting the standards defined by CARB (California Air Resources Board), a California agency dedicated to improving air quality.
This text plans to reduce the availability of vehicles with only internal combustion at dealerships, in favor of hybrid and all-electric automobiles, to accelerate the energy transition.
This provision forced Stellantis to adapt its production.
The Mack site in Detroit produces Jeep brand Grand Cherokee models, including the 4xe hybrid version. The Toledo plant also manufactures Jeep cars, the Gladiator, Wrangler and the Wrangler 4xe hybrid.
On Wednesday, Stellantis filed an appeal with the California Office of Administrative Law (OAL), arguing that CARB’s provisions disadvantage the manufacturer.
In 2019, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW concluded a derogation agreement with Californian authorities which plans to measure the sales of each group at the national level and not state by state, as is the case for other manufacturers, including Stellantis .
“The exclusion” of Stellantis from this development amounts to creating a “two-speed” industry, which endangers “the living conditions of our 56,000 employees,” the group argued in the letter addressed to the Californian authorities.
