Local Car Dealerships Feeling the Impact from the UAW Strike
Local dealerships aren’t seeing a noticeable impact from the UAW strike when it comes to car sales, but it’s a different story when it comes to car parts.
According to General Manager of McInerney Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, John Fisher, they’re not receiving anything close to the numbers of parts they have in the past. “We ordered 160 parts and received two where normally we’d get them all,” he said. “That’s a huge impact on service department, our parts department, and the supply chain for all the body shops. It hurt the consumer.”
This is already affecting how fast drivers are able to get their vehicles fixed. “It’s not as much as accessories which are made by the outside sources but body shops are going to feel it,” said Scott Plowman, general manager for Alpena Buick GMC. “If you hit a deer with your car or you’re trying to get your car repaired, there may be a delay in getting parts and customers getting their vehicles repaired.”
With the UAW and the big three automakers unable to make significant progress in negotiations, it looks likely the trend will continue. “In three or four months, I think your delay will be a snowball effect,” Plowman said. “The stuff that they can’t build now will delay the cars that we expect in December and January. They will be a little more scarce which will affect rebates and sales prices just like it did with COVID.”
Right now it’s unclear when the strike may come to an end. “I was hoping it would be over by now but they’re still far apart so I really don’t have an answer for that,” said Plowman.
However, Fisher is confident it will end soon. “I’m an optimist. I don’t think it will go any further,” he said. “I think there’s some really good deals on the table. I think the union asked for too much and the company didn’t give enough, and I think they’re coming a lot closer. I have a strong feeling that it’ll be done in a couple of weeks.”
On Monday, Executive Chairman of Ford, Bill Ford, said their company cannot put any more money on the table beyond what it has already offered to the union.
