Italian autoworkers go on strike, as troubled Stellantis faces pressure over production plans

ROME (AP) — Workers in Italy’s troubled automotive sector are holding a national strike on Friday for the first time in 20 years, with a massive demonstration crossing the center of Rome.

Tens of thousands automotive workers marched through the capital’s streets, waving the unions’ red flags and holding banners asking for better work conditions.

“We are working one to two days a week when it goes well. So, what we are saying today is that the (ecological) transition cannot be exclusively paid for by the workers,” said Riccardo Falcetta, representative of the UIL metalworker union in Bari.

The sector’s three main unions in Italy are asking the government to defend employment in the sector and relaunch the future of the carmaking industry in Italy, beginning with global automaker Stellantis.

Stellantis, the world’s fourth largest automaker, is under pressure globally to provide clarity about its future production plans as it faces growing competition and financial strains. Italy’s far-right government accuses the company of relocating assembly plants to low-cost countries.

The multinational group, which was created in 2021 from the merger of Fiat-Chrysler and PSA Peugeot, recorded a sharp drop in output at most of its Italian plants in the first half of 2024. Over the past 17 years, the carmaker has slashed its Italian production by nearly 70%.

CEO Carlos Tavares has recently blamed EU carbon emission rules for raising production costs, suggesting that the group may be forced to close some assembly plants to meet competition from China. He said he “could not rule out” job cuts, reiterating a need for additional state incentives to spur demand for electric cars.

Stellantis, which makes Jeep and Chrysler vehicles, has been in the spotlight following a profit warning in which it said it expected to finish the year with a loss of up to 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion).

Tavares has also been under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union amid a dismal financial performance this year, after being caught off guard by too many high-priced vehicles on dealer lots. He has been trying to cut costs by delaying factory openings, laying off union workers and offering buyouts to salaried employees.

The group in September announced that it was looking for a successor for 66-year-old Tavares as part of a planned leadership change. Tavares’ five-year contract was a little over a year from its expiration date in 2026, but the company hinted at the time it was possible he might remain in the job beyond that.

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Associated Press producer Trisha Thomas contributed to this report

A banner reading "From Italy to Poland, shame!" is placed on a car during a demonstration of workers of automotive sector in Rome's Piazza Del Popolo Square on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Demonstrators wave union flags on the occasion of a national strike of metalworkers of the automotive sector for the first time in 20 years, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 18 2024. Writing on sign at center reads in Italian "Produce, Consume and Die!". (Roberto Monaldo/LaPresse via AP)

Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector burn flares as they arrive in Rome's Piazza Del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector gather in Rome's Piazza del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector burn flares in Rome's Piazza Del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector gather in Rome's Piazza del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Workers of automotive sector gather in Rome's Piazza del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government's road safety agency is again investigating Tesla's “Full Self-Driving” system, this time after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents that it opened the probe on Thursday with the company reporting four crashes after Teslas entered areas of low visibility, including sun glare, fog and airborne dust.

In addition to the pedestrian's death, another crash involved an injury, the agency said.

Investigators will look into the ability of “Full Self-Driving” to “detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions, and if so, the contributing circumstances for these crashes.”

The investigation covers roughly 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

A message was left early Friday seeking comment from Tesla, which has repeatedly said the system cannot drive itself and human drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.

Last week Tesla held an event at a Hollywood studio to unveil a fully autonomous robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals. CEO Elon Musk said the company plans to have fully autonomous vehicles running without human drivers next year, and robotaxis available in 2026.

The agency also said it would look into whether any other similar crashes involving “Full Self-Driving” have happened in low visibility conditions, and it will seek information from the company on whether any updates affected the system’s performance in those conditions.

“In particular, his review will assess the timing, purpose and capabilities of any such updates, as well as Telsa’s assessment of their safety impact,” the documents said.

Tesla has twice recalled “Full Self-Driving” under pressure from the agency, which in July sought information from law enforcement and the company after a Tesla using the system struck and killed a motorcyclist near Seattle.

The recalls were issued because the system was programmed to run stop signs at slow speeds and because the system disobeyed other traffic laws. Both problems were to be fixed with online software updates.

Critics have said that Tesla’s system, which uses only cameras to spot hazards, doesn’t have proper sensors to be fully self driving. Nearly all other companies working on autonomous vehicles use radar and laser sensors in addition to cameras to see better in the dark or poor visibility conditions.

The “Full Self-Driving” recalls arrived after a three-year investigation into Tesla's less-sophisticated Autopilot system crashed into emergency and other vehicles parked on highways, many with warning lights flashing.

That investigation was closed last April after the agency pressured Tesla into recalling its vehicles to bolster a weak system that made sure drivers are paying attention. A few weeks after the recall, NHTSA began investigating whether the recall was working.

The investigation that was opened Thursday enters new territory for NHTSA, which previously had viewed Tesla's systems as assisting drivers rather than driving themselves. With the new probe, the agency is focusing on the capabilities of “Full Self-Driving" rather than simply making sure drivers are paying attention.

US to probe Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after pedestrian killed in low visibility conditions

The logo of Tesla car is pictured at the Paris Auto Show, in Paris, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

US to probe Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after pedestrian killed in low visibility conditions