Detroit’s automakers recorded major profits for the first half of the year, but the benefits of those earnings won’t land evenly among their employees and could delay wage raises and shrink profit-sharing bonuses for some autoworkers.
The global semiconductor shortage has forced auto plants to idle around the world, in some cases for months at a time. Automakers are prioritizing their highest-margin vehicles and those that help them meet fuel efficiency and emissions standards. That leaves employees at plants that often already have felt the pains of layoffs feeling further left behind.