ROME (AP) — Workers in Italy's automotive sector will go on strike on Oct. 18, the main metalworkers unions said Tuesday, in protest of declining output from Stellantis, the biggest carmaker in the country.
The unions also called for a national demonstration in Rome on the same day.
Stellantis, which was created in 2021 from the merger of Fiat-Chrysler with PSA Peugeot, registered a sharp drop in output at most of its Italian plants in the first half of 2024, according to data provided by the FIM-CISL union.
Projections are now for just over half a million vehicles produced by Stellantis in Italy in the full year, down from 751,000 in 2023, the union said.
Over the past 17 years, the struggling carmaker has slashed its Italian production by nearly 70%.
Stellantis, which counts the Jeep and Ram trucks among its brands, is currently looking for a new CEO to succeed Carlos Tavares, in what the company described as a normal leadership succession plan. The company added that it’s possible Tavares will stay on longer.
Tavares oversaw the merger of PSA Peugeot and Fiat-Chrysler but has come under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union after a dismal financial performance in the first half of the year.
Its North American operations had been the company’s main source of profits, but they have struggled this year amid larger market changes.
In Italy, Stellantis has been in talks for months with the right-wing government over plans to increase output there, but no agreement has been reached so far.
In a statement issued later Tuesday, Stellantis confirmed its commitment to finding “shared solutions to address the challenges regarding the automotive sector." The group also stressed that the energy transition is a priority that can no longer be postponed and requires “huge and urgent measures” aimed at reducing production costs.
“We are confident that close collaboration with trade unions and the Italian government will allow us to find effective and sustainable solutions for our common future, transforming this crisis into an opportunity,” it added.
FILE - A Stellantis logo is shown at the North American International Auto Show, Sept. 13, 2023, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Fernando Uliano of Fim Cisl union, left, Michele De Palma of Fiom Cgil union, centre, and Rocco Palombella of Uilm union hold a news conference to announce the mobilization of Stellantis workers and the entire automotive supply chain, in Rome, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)
Fernando Uliano of Fim Cisl union, left, Michele De Palma of Fiom Cgil union, centre, and Rocco Palombella of Uilm union pose after announcing the mobilization of Stellantis workers and the entire automotive supply chain, in Rome, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will send Ukraine an undisclosed number of medium-range cluster bombs and an array of rockets, artillery and armored vehicles in a military aid package totaling about $375 million, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
Officials expect an announcement on Wednesday, as global leaders meet at the U.N. General Assembly, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy uses his appearance there to shore up support and persuade the U.S. to allow his troops to use long-range weapon s to strike deeper into Russia. The following day, Zelenskyy meets with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington.
The aid includes air-to-ground bombs, which have cluster munitions and can be fired by Ukraine's fighter jets, as well as munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelin and other anti-armor systems, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, bridging systems and other vehicles and military equipment, according to officials. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not yet been publicly announced.
The latest package of weapons, provided through presidential drawdown authority, is one of the largest approved recently and will take stocks from Pentagon shelves to deliver the weapons more quickly to Ukraine.
It comes as nearly $6 billion in funding for aid to Ukraine could expire at the end of the month unless Congress acts to extend the Pentagon’s authority to send weapons from its stockpile to Kyiv. Congressional leaders announced they reached an agreement Sunday on a short-term spending bill, but it's unclear if any language extending the Pentagon authority to send weapons to Ukraine will be added to the temporary measure as negotiations with Congress continue.
Ukrainian and Russian forces are battling in the east, including hand-to-hand combat in the Kharkiv border region where Ukraine has driven Russia out of a huge processing plant in the town of Vovchansk that had been occupied for four months, officials said Tuesday. At the same time, Ukrainian troops continue to hold ground in Russia’s Kursk region after a daring incursion there last month.
The aid announcement comes on the heels of Zelenskyy's highly guarded visit on Sunday to a Pennsylvania ammunition factory to thank the workers who are producing 155 mm shells, one of the most critically needed munitions for his country’s fight to fend off Russian ground forces.
Including this latest package, the United States has provided more than $56.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russian forces invaded in February 2022.
Lee reported from the United Nations.
Smoke, dust and debris can be seen after after a Russian attack that hit a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday Sept. 24, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Services via AP)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the the Summit of the Future at United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
United States President Joe Biden addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, at UN headquarters. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
