The reality of the UAW coordinated strike on all of the Big 3 Auto companies is that Detroit, and Michigan have hated them for a long time. The only reason they want them around is to leech off them for the unions.
The thing to remember about a business is there is always the option to go out of business.
What if the Big 3 just folded up their tents and sold off the assets? Pay off the debt, send money to the shareholders and go away. There are plenty of other car companies to fill in the slack.
The auto companies have been building new plants in right-to-work states for a while now. It’s been cheaper to do that. Think of it this way. If I buy a machine to replace a human in an older plant, it might mean I have to retool the entire plant. Cheaper to pay the human a little more in the short run.
The other hard thing for Detroit and Big Auto is that an entire network of supply chain has been built out for over a century around it. In order to move, everyone has to pick up sticks and move.
Let’s play a parlor game and pick what city they should relocate to.
First off, it has to be a right-to-work state. Screw the unions. They have been a huge open sore on the Big 3 for years.
The state needs to be centrally located and have access to good shipping for supply and distribution.
There also needs to be a lot of vacant land around to build stuff.
A good industrial airport is a must to get things in.
The real estate has to be cheaper
Access to rail is a must for distribution.
Access to an interstate is a must for supply, and distribution
Which city are you picking? Tell why in the comments.
I’d pick Memphis. There is cheap real estate along with shipping on the Mississippi, rail, and a good industrial airport thanks to FedEx. Tennessee is a right-to-work state and so are Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas, the three closest bordering states. Memphis is close to where US population is going, Texas and the South. It’s also closer to Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake, and Las Vegas; fast-growing cities as California empties out. It’s still close enough to the eastern seaboard to handle NY, NJ, and PA but it’s also closer to NC, SC, GA, and FL where people are flocking.
I’d tell the UAW to pound sand and rebuild everything in Memphis.
I haven't owned a Big 3 vehicle since 1991.
Missouri was right to work for a few glorious minutes, as enacted by the Republican legislature. However, the voters crammed repeal onto the next general election ballot and passed it as an initiative.
Currently, Missouri is not right to work, but I doubt that would affect the overall climate, if the big three were to move to Memphis.