There's a thriving global market in turtles, and much of that trade is illegal

Jennifer Sevin, Visiting Lecturer in Biology, University of Richmond

Mon, October 2, 2023
THE CONVERSATION

Smuggled rare Mexican box turtles intercepted by U.S. officials at the Port of Memphis. USFWS


Hatchling turtles are cute, small and inexpensive. Handled improperly, they also can make you sick.

Turtles are well-known carriers of salmonella, a common bacterial disease that causes fever, stomach cramps and dehydration and can lead to severe illness, especially in young children and elderly people. In August 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an advisory about an 11-state outbreak of salmonella bacteria linked to pet turtles.

“Don’t kiss or snuggle your turtle, and don’t eat or drink around it. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick,” the agency warned.

Global trade in turtles is big business, and the U.S. is a leading source, destination and transit country. Some of this commerce is legal, some is not. For example, it has been illegal in the U.S. since 1975 to sell turtles with shells less than 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter because young children often contract salmonella from them. But it’s easy to find them for sale nonetheless.

However, humans are a much bigger threat to turtles than vice versa. Over half of the world’s turtle species are classified as threatened or endangered, and overharvesting of wild turtles is a major cause. Turtles also face other threats, including habitat loss, climate change, pollution, diseases, invasive species and death or injury while trying to cross roads.

As a conservation biologist, I work with colleagues from academia, nonprofit organizations and state and federal agencies to protect threatened species and combat wildlife trafficking. I also use the global wildlife trade to teach important ecological concepts and research skills. Here’s what we know about trade in turtles and how it threatens their survival.

Life in the slow lane

It’s hard to harvest turtles sustainably because they are so long-lived. Individual turtles of some species can survive for more than 100 years. Most turtles reach reproductive maturity late in life and have relatively few eggs, not all of which produce successful offspring.

To put this in context, compare a common female snapping turtle from the northern U.S. with a female white-tailed deer. Begin at the start of their lives and fast-forward 17 years. At this point, the snapping turtle will just be ready to reproduce for the first time; the deer will already be dead, but it may have produced over 600 descendants. It can take a female turtle her entire life to generate one or two offspring that in turn reach adulthood and replace her in the population.

Turtles are valuable because they play diverse roles in land, freshwater and ocean ecosystems. For example, tortoise burrows provide refuge for hundreds of other species, including birds, mice, snakes and rabbits. Box turtles – the type you may encounter in your garden – consume practically any kind of plant material and excrete the seeds as they move around, helping plants spread. Some seeds even germinate more readily after passing through a box turtle’s gut.

In lakes and ponds, freshwater turtles serve as both predator and prey, and they help maintain good water quality by consuming decaying organisms. Terrapins reside in brackish water zones, where rivers flow into oceans and bays, and feed heavily on snails. Without terrapins present, the snails would quickly consume all underwater seagrasses, which would harm fish, shellfish, sea urchins and other organisms that rely on seagrasses for their survival.

In global demand

Humans have long been fascinated with turtles. Revered in many cultures, turtles have symbolized strength and longevity for centuries. Today, people use turtles as pets; sources of food, jewelry and other curios; and in traditional medicines and religious and cultural practices.

International trade in turtles takes place on a massive scale. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nearly 127 million turtles were exported just from the U.S. between 2002 and 2012. About one-fifth (24 million) came from the wild.

More recent data indicates that exports declined between 2013 and 2018, but trade in particular species increased. Commercial freshwater turtle farming is still a multimillion-dollar industry in the southeastern U.S.; a small number of native turtle species, largely bred on turtle farms, now make up the bulk of legal U.S. exports, for use as both pets and food.

There’s no good way to quantify how many native turtles are harvested from the wild. But history shows what happens when they are hunted without limits. Historic demand for sea turtles, diamondback terrapins and snapping turtles as food led to such crashes in populations that management agencies had to regulate their harvesting.

Turtles also are gaining popularity as pets, particularly for younger adults. Surveys indicate that more than 2 million Americans own turtles. To curb pressure on wild populations, state agencies are prohibiting or limiting personal collection and possession of native turtles.

Black market turtles

Despite existing regulations, demand for some native North American turtle species is so strong that people collect, smuggle and sell the animals illegally. For example, in 2019 a Pennsylvania man was sentenced to six months in prison and fined $250,000 for trafficking thousands of protected diamondback terrapins.

Rare species such as wood turtles and Blanding’s turtles, as well as uniquely patterned individual turtles, command top value on the black market. Internet commerce, social media apps and online payment mechanisms make it easy for illegal buyers and sellers to connect.

Between 1998 and 2021, U.S. enforcement agencies intercepted at least 24,000 protected freshwater turtles and tortoises from 34 native species that were being illegally traded across the U.S. These animals may be held without food and water and in crowded spaces, sometimes wrapped in tape and stuffed in socks.

A live smuggled Mexican box turtle intercepted by U.S. officials at the Port of Memphis in 2021. USFWS

How to help

To curtail the illegal turtle trade, regulators are working to strengthen regulations and increase enforcement. Private citizens can also help reduce the demand and protect wild turtles. Here are some simple steps:

Before you purchase any live animal or wildlife-related product, review relevant local, state, national and international regulations. Just because something is for sale doesn’t mean it’s legal.

Make an informed decision about owning a turtle. Consider the size it will reach as an adult, its care requirements and its life span. Prioritize adopting one from a reputable rescue organization, and seek out a captive-bred turtle instead of a wild one.

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is a terrapin that has become highly invasive in the U.S., outcompeting native species. Galano~commonswiki/Wikimedia, CC BY-SAMore

Don’t release an animal that you no longer want or can’t care for into the wild. This is illegal and can have serious ecological impacts. The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), a freshwater turtle that’s native to the Mississippi River basin, was sold by the millions in recent decades and released by many pet owners. Now it is considered one of the world’s most invasive species because it outcompetes native turtles for food and space.


If you encounter illegal wildlife collection, smuggling or sales, report them to your state fish and wildlife agency or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for investigation.


Support efforts to conserve and restore turtle habitat and minimize other threats, such as pollution and road traffic.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

It was written by: Jennifer Sevin, University of Richmond.

Read more:

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Jennifer Sevin is a co-founder and serves on the steering committee of the Collaborative to Combat the Illegal Trade in Turtles.

Mote’s Sea Turtle Protection Zone initiative urging boaters to ‘Go Slow for Those Below’

Jim DeLa
Sun, October 1, 2023




Law enforcement agencies aren't the only ones keeping track of boaters' speed on the area's waterways.

Mote Marine Laboratory is also using laser speed guns to collect data on boaters' habits as part of its two-year-old Sea Turtle Protection Zone initiative.

Sea turtles are found year-round in Southwest Florida waters. During nesting season, the endangered turtles spend more time closer to the surface and close to their nesting beaches. With more turtles near the surface, there’s a greater chance they'll be hit by a boat.

Mote scientists have documented boat-strike hotspots along the Sarasota area coast and created the voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone, which stretches from Longboat Key to Siesta Key, including Sarasota Bay.


The zone was created in 2021 through a partnership between the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University of Florida. The project is also funded by the Disney Conservation Fund and money collected from the sale of the state's sea turtle license plate.

“The area extends pretty much from the 10th Street boat ramp down to the north Siesta Key Bridge," expanding about a mile offshore, said Gretchen Lovewell, stranding investigations program manager at Mote Marine Laboratory.

"It's a voluntary zone where we're asking people to just slow down and be on the lookout for sea turtles."



Mote says since the 1980s, boat collisions with sea turtles have tripled in Florida. Lovewell says this year has been particularly hard on the sea turtle population. "This year, June, July and August, were really high numbers for us. We've already had over 30 turtles this year that we've recovered that have been hit by boats," most of them in the new protection zone.

And 90% of sea turtle strikes are fatal, according to Valerie Nicole Tovar, conservation manager at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

“Our goal is to increase boater awareness and enlist boater voluntary compliance to decrease sea turtle injuries and deaths by creating a united front with our local boating communities," Tovar said in a recent news release. A similar zone has also been established in Palm Beach County, she said.

Lovewell says while numbers rise during nesting season, generally from May to October, it is a year-round problem. "They're here year-round because we are recovering them year-round," she said. "Which is part of why we're asking for this voluntary zone to occur year-round."


Lovewell says their data collection is just beginning, with a speed gun that uses a laser to measure a boat's speed. "We try to go out once a week. We have a Lidar (Light detection and ranging) gun just like the police officers have."

She says her team has seen some boaters seemingly unconcerned about what they may hit. "We've recorded some boats going over 60 miles an hour coming through Big Pass."

Lovewell said local law enforcement are on board with the protection zone. "All of our local law enforcement are very much near and dear partners to us," she said.

According to Mote, hot spots for sea turtle strikes include Longboat Pass, New Pass, Big Pass, Siesta Key, Venice Inlet, and offshore 2 miles north of New Pass to two miles south of Big Pass extending out 1½ miles.


Boaters can do their part by following this advice:

• Go slow: Follow Coast Guard-approved safe boating guidelines. Go as slow as safely possible in areas bounded by red lines – the voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone – and limit your travel time in these areas. Follow any posted speed-zone signs – it’s required by law.

• Wear polarized sunglasses to see and avoid sea turtles in your path, and ask one of your passengers to be the designated wildlife spotter.

• Report stranded sea turtles (as well as stranded marine mammals) in Sarasota and Manatee counties to Mote at 888-345-2335. Elsewhere in Florida, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: 888-404-3922.

• Stow trash: Be sure to stow trash and line when under way. Marine debris that accidentally blows overboard or out of a vehicle can become ingested by or entangled around marine life.

• Keep the water trash free: Never discard trash in the water.

Jim DeLa is a reporter for the Community News Collaborative. Reach him at jdela@cncfl.org

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sea turtle initiative urges Sarasota-Manatee boaters to use caution

Hedge funds using computers to sell up to $30 billion of stocks soon - UBS

Nell Mackenzie
Mon, October 2, 2023

FILE PHOTO: A logo of Swiss bank UBS is seen in Zurich


By Nell Mackenzie

LONDON (Reuters) - Hedge funds using computers to trade equities are expecting to start selling to the tune of $20 billion to $30 billion in the next two weeks given retreating stock markets, a UBS note seen by Reuters shows.

Hedge funds using algorithms to follow market trends have turned neutral from bullish on stocks, the UBS note said.

The bank anticipates as much as $30 billion of outflows will soon hit markets, potentially exacerbating the downward move in shares, as these hedge funds start selling stock to follow the recent negative performance.

This will be the first time these hedge funds will be net short equity markets since November 2022, the bank said.

U.S. stocks fell 3.6% in the July-September period, their first quarterly decline of 2023, as investors grappled with the prospects of interest rates remaining higher for longer and rising oil prices added to inflation worries.

CTAs, or commodity trend advisers, are different from stock picking hedge funds in that they follow the movement of an equity, rather than forming an idea as to whether its stock price is too high or low.

This is why their trades often lag market moves, as a downward trend takes time to establish.

The size of the U.S. stock market is estimated to be $46.2 trillion, according to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

CTAs have been long the dollar and are short long term U.S. Treasuries. These hedge fund have continuously bought the dollar through September, said UBS, estimating the total amount of buying to add up to $60 to $70 billion.

Currency trading hit a record $7.5 trillion-a-day Bank for International Settlements said in September 2022, with 88% of volumes including a pairing with the dollar.

(Reporting by Nell Mackenzie; Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe and Alison Williams)

UBS says reports of DOJ probe into Russia sanctions evasion are wrong

Eva Rothenberg, CNN
Sat, September 30, 2023

Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images


Swiss multinational investment bank UBS says it is not aware of a probe by the US Department of Justice into suspected compliance-related missteps by its subsidiary Credit Suisse that reportedly allowed Russian clients to skirt sanctions.

“The recent reporting on an alleged probe by the US Department of Justice into sanctions-related compliance failures at Credit Suisse and UBS is inaccurate. We’re not aware of such a probe,” UBS told CNN in a statement. “UBS and CS have significantly and proactively reduced their Russia-related exposure.”

According to a person familiar with the matter, UBS has been in touch with the DOJ regarding the reported probe.

The bank’s reaction comes on the heels of a Bloomberg report, which cited anonymous people familiar with the matter and asserted the Justice Department had briefed lawyers for UBS (UBS) about Credit Suisse’s alleged involvement in sanctions violations.

CNN reached out to the Justice Department for comment but has not received a response.

The Swiss Bankers Association, a group of the country’s financial institutions, estimated in July more than $200 billion in Russian money has been stashed in Swiss banks. Drew Sullivan, co-founder of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, told the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe in July he thinks “the often-mentioned figure of $200 billion in Russian money in Swiss banks is a gross underestimation.”

The commission, also known as the US Helsinki Commission, had called the July hearing over questions involving sanctions evasion and money laundering as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine.

“Part of our strategy in winning the war for Ukraine, is to isolate and put sanctions on Russia,” Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat from Maryland and co-chair of the commission, said at the hearing. “Those sanctions are only as effective as we are able to make sure that they are enforced. And we have seen the Russian economy surviving better than we thought it would. Part of that has been the laundering of dirty money in Switzerland.”

UBS shares plummeted on the news Wednesday morning. The Swiss Stock Exchange temporarily stopped trading on the stock, which had fallen as much as 8% before it was suspended. Shares of UBS have steadily recovered, but are still down 1.7% since Wednesday’s report.

CNN’s Hanna Ziady contributed to this report.


Credit Suisse, Mozambique secure out-of-court 'tuna bond' settlement

Noele Illien and Kirstin Ridley
Updated Sun, October 1, 2023 

The logo of Credit Suisse is seen outside its office building in Hong Kong


By Noele Illien and Kirstin Ridley

ZURICH (Reuters) -Credit Suisse has reached an 11th-hour out-of-court settlement with Mozambique over the decade-old $1.5 billion-plus "tuna bond" scandal, the Swiss bank's new owner UBS said on Sunday, drawing a line under a damaging dispute it inherited.

"The parties have mutually released each other from any liabilities and claims relating to the transactions," UBS said in a statement. "The parties are pleased to have resolved this long-running dispute," it added without giving further details.

Under the deal, struck one day before a three-month London civil trial was due to start, UBS will forgive part of a loan that Credit Suisse made to Mozambique in 2013, representing less than $100 million, said one source familiar with the situation, who declined to be named because the terms are not public.

In Maputo, the Mozambican Attorney General's Office and Ministry of Economy and Finance said they were calling a joint news conference for Monday morning.

The tuna bond case dates back to deals between state-owned Mozambican companies and shipbuilder Privinvest - funded in part by loans and bonds from Credit Suisse and backed by undisclosed Mozambican government guarantees in 2013 and 2014 - ostensibly to develop the fishing industry and for maritime security.

But hundreds of millions of dollars went missing and, when the government debt came to light in 2016, donors such as the International Monetary Fund temporarily halted support, triggering a currency collapse, defaults and financial turmoil.

The settlement included most of the creditors involved in funding a 2013 loan to ProIndicus, a state-owned Mozambican company, UBS said.

DRAWING A LINE

UBS, which took over scandal-scarred Credit Suisse amid turmoil in the global banking sector earlier this year, has pledged to resolve Credit Suisse's legacy legal disputes.

Since completing the mega merger on June 12, it has paid $388 million to U.S. and British regulators over dealings with collapsed private investment firm Archegos Capital Management and settled a dispute with a finance blog.

The latest settlement leaves French shipping mogul Iskandar Safa and his Privinvest group among key remaining defendants in a High Court battle over the funding and maritime deals that have already triggered U.S. and Mozambican criminal proceedings.

Mozambique has alleged it was the victim of a conspiracy and that Privinvest paid bribes to corrupt Mozambican officials and Credit Suisse bankers, exposing the country to a potential liability of at least $2 billion.

Privinvest has alleged it delivered on all of its obligations under the contracts and that any payments it made were either investments, consultancy payments, legitimate remuneration or legitimate political campaign contributions.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NYUSI IMMUNITY

In another twist to the complex case, Privinvest on Friday secured permission to appeal against a London High Court decision to grant Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi immunity from the proceedings. Privinvest has argued that if it is found liable, Nyusi should contribute to any damages.

Officials in the Maputo government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Court of Appeal Judge Elizabeth Laing said it was now up to the trial judge to grant any applications for adjournment, a decision seen by Reuters over the weekend showed.

In 2021, Credit Suisse agreed to pay about $475 million to British and U.S. authorities to resolve bribery and fraud charges and has pledged to forgive $200 million of debt owed by Mozambique.

It has alleged three former bankers, who arranged the bonds and have pleaded guilty in the United States to handling kickbacks, hid their misconduct from the bank.

(Writing by Kirstin Ridley, Additional reporting by Oliver Hirt in Zurich, Manuel Mucari in Maputo and Nqobile Dludla in Johannesburg; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

How do astronomers know the age of the planets and stars?

Adam Burgasser, Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California, San Diego
Mon, October 2, 2023 

THE CONVERSATION

Astronomers can estimate ages for stars outside the Solar System, but not planets. Corbis Historical via Getty ImagesMore

Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.

How do we know the age of the planets and stars? – Swara D., age 13, Thane, India

Measuring the ages of planets and stars helps scientists understand when they formed and how they change – and, in the case of planets, if life has had time to have evolved on them.

Unfortunately, age is hard to measure for objects in space.

Stars like the Sun maintain the same brightness, temperature and size for billions of years. Planet properties like temperature are often set by the star they orbit rather than their own age and evolution.

Determining the age of a star or planet can be as hard as guessing the age of a person who looks exactly the same from childhood to retirement.
Sussing out a star’s age

Fortunately, stars change subtly in brightness and color over time. With very accurate measurements, astronomers can compare these measurements of a star to mathematical models that predict what happens to stars as they get older and estimate an age from there.

Stars don’t just glow, they also spin. Over time, their spinning slows down, similar to how a spinning wheel slows down when it encounters friction. By comparing the spin speeds of stars of different ages, astronomers have been able to create mathematical relationships for the ages of stars, a method known as gyrochronology.

Researchers estimate the Sun is 4.58 billion years old. NASA via GettyImages

A star’s spin also generates a strong magnetic field and produces magnetic activity, such as stellar flares – powerful bursts of energy and light that occur on stars’ surfaces. A steady decline in magnetic activity from a star can also help estimate its age.

A more advanced method for determining the ages of stars is called asteroseismology, or star shaking. Astronomers study vibrations on the surfaces of stars caused by waves that travel through their interiors. Young stars have different vibrational patterns than old stars. By using this method, astronomers have estimated the Sun to be 4.58 billion years old.

Piecing together a planet’s age

In the solar system, radionuclides are the key to dating planets. These are special atoms that slowly release energy over a long period of time. As natural clocks, radionuclides help scientists determine the ages of all kinds of things, from rocks to bones and pottery.

Using this method, scientists have determined that the oldest known meteorite is 4.57 billion years old, almost identical to the Sun’s asteroseismology measurement of 4.58 billion years. The oldest known rocks on Earth have slightly younger ages of 4.40 billion years. Similarly, soil brought back from the Moon during the Apollo missions had radionuclide ages of up to 4.6 billion years.

Craters on the moon’s surface. Tomekbudujedomek/Moment via Getty Images

Although studying radionuclides is a powerful method for measuring the ages of planets, it usually requires having a rock in hand. Typically, astronomers only have a picture of a planet to go by. Astronomers often determine the ages of rocky space objects like Mars or the Moon by counting their craters. Older surfaces have more craters than younger surfaces. However, erosion from water, wind, cosmic rays and lava flow from volcanoes can wipe away evidence of earlier impacts.

Aging techniques don’t work for giant planets like Jupiter that have deeply buried surfaces. However, astronomers can estimate their ages by counting craters on their moons or studying the distribution of certain classes of meteorites scattered by them, which are consistent with radionuclide and cratering methods for rocky planets.

We cannot yet directly measure the ages of planets outside our solar system with current technology.

How accurate are these estimates?

Our own solar system provides the best check for accuracy, since astronomers can compare the radionuclide ages of rocks on the Earth, Moon, or asteroids to the asteroseismology age of the Sun, and these match very well.

Stars in clusters like the Pleiades or Omega Centauri are believed to have all formed at roughly the same time, so age estimates for individual stars in these clusters should be the same. In some stars, astronomers can detect radionuclides like uranium – a heavy metal found in rocks and soil – in their atmospheres, which have been used to check the ages from other methods.

Astronomers believe planets are roughly the same age as their host stars, so improving methods to determine a star’s age helps determine a planet’s age as well. By studying subtle clues, it’s possible to make an educated guess of the age of an otherwise steadfast star.

Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.

And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Adam Burgasser, University of California, San Diego.

Read more:

Why does the Earth spin?

Does outer space end – or go on forever?

Adam Burgasser receives funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation.

Arizona's biggest city has driest monsoon season since weather service began record-keeping in 1895

Associated Press
Updated Sun, October 1, 2023 

 A sign displays an unofficial temperature as jets taxi at Sky Harbor International Airport at dusk, July 12, 2023, in Phoenix. Phoenix, Arizona’s most populous city, is in the record books again for notching a record for dry heat. The National Weather Service said Sunday, Oct 1, that the monsoon season this year in the arid Southwest dropped only 0.15 inches (.38 centimeters) of rainfall from June 15 to Sept. 30. That’s the driest since the agency began keeping records in 1895.

 (AP Photo/Matt York, File) 

PHOENIX (AP) — After a summer of extreme heat, Arizona’s most populous city is in the record books again. This time Phoenix is notching a record for dry heat.

The National Weather Service said Sunday that the monsoon season this year in the arid Southwest dropped only 0.15 inches (.38 centimeters) of rainfall from June 15 to September 30. That’s the driest since the agency began keeping records in 1895. The previous mark was 0.35 inches in 1924.

The monsoon season normally runs for about three months each year starting in June, when rising temperatures heat the land and shifting winds carry moisture from the eastern Pacific and Gulf of California to the Southwest via summer thunderstorms.

Phoenix’s average rainfall during a monsoon season is 2.43 inches (6.1 centimeters). Arizona gets less than 13 inches (33 centimeters) of average annual rainfall as America’s second driest state behind Nevada, which meteorologist say averages less than 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of rain per year compared to the national average of about 30 inches (76 centimeters).

Nevada has struggled with drought conditions since 2020. New Mexico, the fourth driest state in the U.S. with an average annual rainfall of about 14 inches (35.5 centimeters) per year, also has been affected by the drought in recent years.

Phoenix this summer experienced the hottest July and the second-hottest August. The daily average temperature of 97 F (36.1 C) in June, July and August passed the previous record of 96.7 F (35.9 C) set three years ago.

In July, Phoenix also set a record with a 31-day streak of highs at or above 110 F (43.3 C), creating a health hazard for people whose bodies were unable to cool off sufficiently amid the persistent, relenting heat.

Confirmed heat-associated deaths in Arizona’s most populous county continue to rise in the aftermath of the record summer heat.

Maricopa County public health data shows that as of Sept. 23, there were 295 heat-associated deaths confirmed with a similar number — 298 — still under investigation for causes associated with the heat.

The rising numbers are keeping Maricopa on track to set an annual record for heat-associated deaths after a blistering summer, particularly in Phoenix. No other major metropolitan area in the United States has reported such high heat death figures or spends so much time tracking and studying them.

Scientists predict the numbers will only continue to climb as climate change makes heat waves more frequent, intense and enduring.

India's devastating monsoon season is a sign of things to come, as climate and poor planning combine

SIBI ARASU
Sun, October 1, 2023

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Sanjay Chauhan witnessed monsoon rains lash down over his home and farm in the Indian Himalayas this year with a magnitude and intensity he's never experienced before.

“Buildings have collapsed, roads are broken, there were so many landslides including one that has destroyed a large part of my orchard," said the 56-year-old farmer, who lives in the town of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. “I have not seen anything like this.”

The devastation of this year's monsoon season in India, which runs from June to September, has been significant: Local government estimates say that 428 people have died and Himachal Pradesh suffered over $1.42 billion worth in property damage since June.

Human-caused climate change is making rain more extreme in the region and scientists warn Himalayan states should expect more unpredictable and heavy seasons like this one. But the damage is also exacerbated by developers paying little mind to environmental regulations and building codes when building on flood- and earthquake-prone land, local experts and environmentalists say.

Damages to property in Himachal Pradesh this year were more than the last five years combined. Other regions also suffered heavy losses in terms of lives, property and farmland — including the neighboring state of Uttarakhand, Delhi and most northern and western Indian states.

In the second week of July, 224.1 millimeters (8.82 inches) of rainfall descended on the state instead of the usual 42.2 millimeters (1.66 inches) for this time of the year — a 431% increase — according to the Indian Meteorological Department. Then for five days in August, 111.9 millimeters (4.41 inches) poured down on Himachal Pradesh, 168% more than the 41.7 millimeters (1.64 inches) it would typically receive in that timeframe.

The rainfall spurred hundreds of landslides, with overflowing rivers sweeping vehicles away and collapsing multiple buildings, many of them recently constructed hotels. Key highways were submerged or destroyed and all schools in the region were shut. Around 300 tourists stranded near the high altitude lake of Chandratal had to be airlifted to safety by the Indian Air Force.

Jakob Steiner, a climate scientist with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, said rising global temperatures from human-caused climate change means more water evaporates in the heat which is then dumped in heavy rainfall events.

And when all the water pours in one place, it means other regions are starved of rain.

In the south of the country, rain was so rare that the region had its driest monsoon season since 1901, the IMD said. The government of Karnataka in southern India declared drought conditions in most of the state.

Climate change compounds the phenomenon of weather extremes, said Anjal Prakash, a research director at the Indian School of Business, with both droughts and deluges expected to intensify as the world warms.

In the Himalayas, the problem of climate changed-boosted rain is worsened by unregulated development and years of devastation piling up with little time to adapt or fix the damage in between.

“Roads, dams and settlements have been built without proper environmental assessments or following building codes,” said Prakash. Unregulated development has also led to increased soil erosion and disrupted natural drainage systems, he said.

Y.P. Sundarial, a geologist with Uttarakhand-based HNB Garhwal University, agrees.

“People here are building six floor buildings on slopes as steep as 45 degrees” in a region that is both flood and earthquake prone, Sundarial said. “We need to make sure development policies keep the sensitiveness of Himalayas in mind to avoid such damage in the future.”

When these structures almost inevitably topple year after year during monsoon rains, it creates a “cumulative impact” said local environmentalist Mansi Asher, meaning residents are now living with years of unaddressed devastation.

Ten years ago, an estimated 6,000 people died in flash floods caused by a cloudburst in Uttarakhand which destroyed hundreds of villages; between 2017 and 2022, around 1,500 people died in Himachal Pradesh from extreme rain-related incidents; and earlier this year at least 240 families were relocated away from the religious town of Joshimath after the ground caved in from over construction despite warnings from scientists.

Governments on the state and national level have been looking at how to address the destruction.

Himachal Pradesh's government announced a $106 million disaster risk reduction and preparedness program with support from the French Development Agency this year to strengthen its response to extreme rainfall.

The state also published a comprehensive climate action plan in 2022 but many of the plan's recommendations, such as creating a fund to research climate challenges or helping farmers in the region adapt to changing weather conditions, have not yet been implemented.

The Indian federal government meanwhile has set an ambitious target of producing 500 gigawatts of clean energy by 2030 and has installed 172 gigawatts as of March this year. India is currently one of the world's largest emitters. The country also created a national adaptation fund for climate change, releasing just over $72 million for various projects since 2015.

But these initiatives are too little, too late for apple farmer Chauhan and others picking up the pieces after an especially catastrophic monsoon season.

Chauhan, who's also the former mayor of Shimla, wants to see a firm plan that addresses climate change in the face of the region's growing population and development needs.

“Those in power really need to step up,” he said.

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Follow Sibi Arasu on X, formerly known as Twitter at @sibi123

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Rescuers search the debris for survivors after a landslide following heavy rainfall in Shimla, India, Aug. 17, 2023. Human-caused climate change is making rain more extreme in the region and scientists warn states should expect more unpredictable and heavy monsoons like this one. 

(AP Photo/Pradeep Kumar, File)

DESANTISLAND

Disney, DeSantis legal fights ratchet up as company demands documents from Florida governor

MIKE SCHNEIDER
Updated Sat, September 30, 2023 


FILE - Crowds fill Main Street USA in front of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom on the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Oct. 1, 2021. Facing backlash, Walt Disney World’s governing district will pay a stipend to employees whose free passes and discounts to the theme park resort were eliminated under a policy made by a new district administrator and board members who are allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

 (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File) 

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The legal fights between Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis ratcheted up this week.

The Florida governor asked that the company's First Amendment lawsuit against him be tossed from federal court, and Disney demanded emails, texts and other communications from the governor's office in a separate state court lawsuit originally brought by DeSantis appointees of Walt Disney World's governing district.

The legal filings marked an escalation in the battle between the entertainment giant and DeSantis, a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. The confrontation started last year when Disney publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, and DeSantis retaliated by taking over the governing district that provides municipal services for the 25,000-acre (10,117-hectare) Disney World theme park resort in Florida.

Disney has sued DeSantis in federal court, claiming the governor violated its free speech rights by punishing it for expressing opposition to the law.

On Thursday, DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the governing district made up of DeSantis appointees, asked a federal judge to throw out Disney’s First Amendment lawsuit, calling it meritless and “a last-ditch effort to reinstate its corporate kingdom.”

“Although Disney has grabbed headlines by suing the Governor, Disney — like many litigants before it who have challenged Florida’s laws — has no basis for doing so,” DeSantis' motion said.

Meanwhile, the governing district now controlled by DeSantis appointees has sued Disney in state court. The suit is an attempt to void prior agreements, made before the DeSantis appointees took over, that shifted control over design and construction to Disney from the district and prohibited the district from using the likeness of Disney characters or other intellectual property without Disney's permission. Disney filed counterclaims that include asking a state court to declare the agreements valid and enforceable. The company amended those counterclaims on Thursday, saying the DeSantis-controlled district was in violation of the U.S. Constitution stipulations on contracts and due process.

Disney also sent a notice to DeSantis' office demanding internal communications, including text messages and emails, and documents regarding the district's comprehensive plan, the development agreements and the legislation that shifted control of the district to DeSantis. The notice said a subpoena would be issued requiring the governor's office to turn over the materials to Disney's attorneys by Oct. 27.

The Disney attorneys also sent notices of subpoenas to others, including similar special districts in Florida. Disney wants to show that the manner in which it gave public notice about the agreements which stripped the DeSantis allies of design and construction powers was consistent with what other districts do. The DeSantis allies are arguing that one of the reasons the agreements should be invalidated is they weren't properly publicized.

In response to the demand for communications and documents, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said that some of Disney's requests were “overbroad, unduly oppressive, and an improper fishing expedition.”

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Attorneys for college taken over by DeSantis allies threaten to sue 'alternate' school

Associated Press
Sun, October 1, 2023 

 A student makes her way past the sign at New College of Florida, Jan. 20, 2023, in Sarasota, Fla. Attorneys for New College of Florida, the traditionally progressive public liberal arts college which was taken over by allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis as part of his “war on woke,” last week threatened to sue a group of former faculty members and students. It's because they have formed an alternative online institute named “Alt New College” after departing the school following the takeover. 

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File) 


SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys for New College of Florida, the traditionally progressive public liberal arts college that was taken over by allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis as part of his “war on woke,” last week threatened to sue a group of former faculty members and students who have formed an alternative online institute named “Alt New College" after departing the school following the takeover.

Alt New College says on its website that it was created to teach free and subsidized courses and to preserve the original educational philosophy of the school following the “hostile takeover” of New College of Florida earlier this year.

“Over time, we hope to build an online institute that helps protect other communities facing similar attacks,” the Alt New College website said. “What is happening at New College of Florida is part of a national strategy to overtake public education and subvert a fundamental pillar of democracy.”

Among those backing the effort are former New College provosts, Bard College in New York and PEN America, a free expression advocacy group.

But attorneys for Sarasota, Florida-based New College said in a letter last Thursday that the online institute may be violating the school’s trademark and is likely to cause confusion. The attorneys demanded that Alt New College stop using the “New College” name.

“These actions have caused and will cause damage and irreparable harm to New College,” the letter said.

New College has become a focal point of a campaign by DeSantis, a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, to rid higher education in the state of what he calls left-leaning “woke” indoctrination on campuses.

New trustees allied with DeSantis fired the school’s president in favor of former state House Speaker Richard Corcoran as interim president and scrapped the college’s small office of diversity, equity and inclusion. The trustees also have denied tenure to five professors despite criticism that such a move poses a threat to academic freedom.

More than a third of the school's faculty members have left following the change and scores of students also have transferred.

The conservative takeover has gained national attention, prompting a visit in April by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California in which he sharply criticized DeSantis and the changes under way at New College.

Scientists Find Microplastics in Cave Sealed Off From All Humans

Frank Landymore
Sun, October 1, 2023 


Under a Rock

A cave that's been closed off to human visitors for 30 years has been found to contain high concentrations of microplastics — and that should worry you.

Such were the findings of a pair of new studies, the most recent of which was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, that used the cave's hermetic seclusion as a way of gauging just how far microplastics have penetrated the environment, and more specifically, subsurface water systems.

"A lot of research has been focused on surface water settings," Elizabeth Hasenmueller, a geochemist and associate director of the WATER Institute at Saint Louis University who authored both studies, said in a statement. "However, one of the most understudied areas in this field relates to what's happening to the subsurface in terms of microplastic contamination."

Inescapable Waste

Scientists continue to find new places where these tiny shards of plastic waste — five millimeters and smaller — end up, and none of them are reassuring. Recent notable studies have discovered it everywhere from polluting clouds to the inside of human hearts.

The locale selected by the researchers is Cliff Cave, located in Missouri, and while it has been closed to the public since 1993, it is located near a residential area. As such, it's not totally sequestered from civilization, but serves as a good case study on how human settlements impact nearby ecosystems.

The researchers found that microplastics were building up in their highest concentrations at the mouth of the cave, and then being pushed further in by water that flooded into it. Moreover, they determined that microplastics were 100 times more concentrated in the cave's sediment than in the water.

"99 percent of the microplastic debris we found in the cave was stored in the sediment; only a very small fraction of the plastic was in the water," Hasenmueller said.

This suggests that water is depositing the microplastics into the sediment, where it gets stored long term — decades or more — even after the water recedes, the researchers concluded, adding that airborne particles could also be settling into the cave bed.
Caving In

Ominously, Hasenmueller says that these plastic particles contaminating caves could seep into groundwater, which humans use to drink. Beyond that, it also threatens to disrupt the habitats of bats and amphibians that inhabit the caves.

Given how ubiquitous plastics are, it'll be a difficult trend to reverse. One solution according to Hasenmueller is that society as a whole should ditch synthetic clothing.

"A lot of the debris that we found in this cave was synthetic fibers from textiles," she said.

‘Looking Like a Bunch of Monkeys’: Black Employees Allegedly Forced to Relieve Themselves Outside While White Employees Used Bathrooms Indoors, EEOC Lawsuit Against Florida Asphalt Paving Company Claims

Niko Mann
Mon, October 2, 2023 

The U.S. Equal Employment Oppor­tunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Asphalt Paving Systems on Sept. 26, alleging the company created a hostile environment for Black employees in Zephyrhills, Florida.

The EEOC alleges that Asphalt Paving Systems violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991 by subjecting 12 Black now-former employees — Michael Cheaves, Anthony Clemons, David Cooper, Freddrick Cooper, Broderick Curney, Olusoga Davis, Kendall Gadson, Joseph Haynes, Alvin Matooram, Willie Moore III, David Whipper, and Jack Cornell Youmans to racial harassment in the workplace.

The U.S. Equal Employment Oppor­tunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Asphalt Paving Systems, citing racial harassment against Black employees. (Photo: asphaltpavingsystems.com screenshot)

The EEOC claim lays out a litany of allegations against APS, many of which are enumerated below.


According to the lawsuit, the employees were repeatedly called the “N-word” and “boy” by other employees and management. They were also subjected to demeaning working conditions, such as being forced to work in heavy rain while white employees watched. The Black employees were also forced to relieve themselves outside, while white employees were allowed to use the bathrooms indoors.

“Throughout the course of Charging Parties’ employment with APS, they were subjected to racial epithets and racially-charged verbal abuse from white supervisors and co-workers, threatening conduct by white supervisors and co-workers, and being forced to work in demeaning and humiliating working conditions,” the complaint says.

A white foreman named Anthony Buchholz was one of the supervisors who often used racial slurs to refer to Black employees, according to the EEOC.

“Buchholz would use the N-word frequently in front of Curney,” reads the lawsuit. “Curney objected to Buchholz’s use of the N-word directly, but Buchholz continued to use it. After Curney’s objections, Buchholz then came to a job site with a friend and yelled ‘I ain’t gonna ever run from a Black N—r’ at Curney.”

The lawsuit also noted that a foreman named Douglas Henry often called Black employees “boy” and that the company prevented a paving crew from finding other employment by calling a potential employer and telling them not to hire the men. The men were also called “Black boy,” “monkey,” and “Black motherf-cker” by Asphalt Paving System employees.

Supervisor Dennis Williams was overheard saying the Black paving crew “were looking like a bunch of monkeys,” and another employee, Mike Whitson, called Freddrick Cooper a monkey directly to his face “on a frequent basis.” Whitson also called the men “sissies” and “f—ggots” and referred to David Cooper as a “dumb N—r.”

The company’s mechanic, referred to in the lawsuit as “Jackie,” made comments to Black employees such as, “Black is beautiful, tan is grand, but white is the color of the big boss man” and that he was “Black from the waist down.”

By March 2022, every one of the Black employees had either resigned from APS or been fired.

EEOC Regional Attorney Robert E. Weisberg called the racial discrimination the employees faced “toxic.”

“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and illustrate the unfortunate reality that, 60 years after Title VII was enacted, toxic racial discrimination still plagues many workplaces in Florida,” said Weisberg. “The EEOC will continue to vigorously fight for the rights of Black employees and applicants to be free from workplace discrimination.”

The lawsuit asks Asphalt Paving Systems to “institute and carry out” policies, practices, and programs that provide Black employees with equal employment opportunities that “eradicate” their unlawful employment practices as well as provide the plaintiffs with compensation “in amounts to be determined at trial.”

The lawsuit also requests the plaintiffs be compensated for “the unlawful employment practices described herein, including emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, and humiliation,” as well as their legal costs.

‘Shameful’: Black Tesla Employee Claims White Co-Workers, Supervisor’s ‘Preferred Pronoun’ to Use Was the N-word In Startling Federal Racial Harassment Lawsuit

Yasmeen Freightman
Mon, October 2, 2023 at 7:00 AM MDT·3 min read


A new and damning civil rights lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges that automotive giant Tesla did nothing to stop widespread racial harassment aimed at Black employees working at a California plant.

The EEOC states that some Black workers at a plant in Fremont, California, were often called racial slurs, including variations of the N-word, and even witnessed graffiti depicting nooses, swastikas and more racist images drawn across the facility’s high-traffic work areas and even on production lines.

Former Black workers said they were routinely called the N-word by fellow workers. (Image courtesy of AP Photos).

The plant’s supervisors and managers were also witnesses to this conduct but refused to intervene, the suit obtained by Atlanta Black Star details. To make matters worse, human resources employees and managerial personnel who were approached by workers about the “slurs, insults, graffiti, and misconduct” made no effort to address the behavior or penalize the workers responsible. Some of these employees were even terminated, transferred, or experienced a shift in their job duties for reporting the conduct.

The suit accuses the electric carmaker of violating “federal law by tolerating widespread and ongoing racial harassment of its Black employees and by subjecting some of these workers to retaliation for opposing the harassment.”

Tesla has yet to respond to requests for comment from several major outlets nor has the company released a statement on the lawsuit at this time.

This suit is just the latest in a series of civil actions taken against Musk companies over the past few years.

The Justice Department sued SpaceX for allegedly discriminating against refugees and asylum seekers in its hiring process. In 2021, the carmaker was also the target of a lawsuit filed by half a dozen women who alleged the company fostered an environment of sexual harassment. Just this year, a jury ordered Tesla to pay Owen Diaz — a Black former employee — nearly $3.2 million in damages after finding he faced racial discrimination on the job in 2015. Diaz was initially granted $137 million in 2021, but a judge tossed out that award, ruling it as excessive.

Diaz worked as an elevator operator at the Fremont facility and he sued his former employer after regularly hearing racial slurs on the factory floor and seeing racist graffiti in bathrooms.

The EEOC’s lawsuit details staggering similarities to Diaz’s case, alleging that since 2015, Black workers at the Fremont plant “have routinely endured racial abuse, pervasive stereotyping, and hostility as well as epithets such as variations of the N-word, ‘monkey,’ ‘boy,’ and ‘black b—-.’”

Managers, supervisors, line leads, and production associates engaged in this conduct, according to the legal complaint. One employee even reported that white co-workers and one supervisor’s “preferred pronoun” was the N-word.

“Every employee deserves to have their civil rights respected, and no worker should endure the kind of çracial bigotry our investigation revealed,” EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows said. “Today’s lawsuit makes clear that no company is above the law, and the EEOC will vigorously enforce federal civil rights protections to help ensure American workplaces are free from unlawful harassment and retaliation.”

The EEOC is seeking “compensatory and punitive damages, and back pay for the affected workers, as well as injunctive relief designed to reform Tesla’s employment practices to prevent such discrimination in the future.”

Stellantis' last-minute bargaining move with the UAW saved Michigan jobs — for now


Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press
Sun, October 1, 2023

The United Auto Workers' latest escalation in its strike against General Motors and Ford Motor Co. has auto parts suppliers in Michigan relieved, for now.

For one thing, UAW President Shawn Fain stopped short of cutting the automakers off at the knees. It chose to strike midsize SUV plants at the two companies rather than target the plants where GM and Ford make their most profitable and highest-volume selling vehicles: pickups and large SUVs. So the damage remains relatively contained.

And, in a last-minute maneuver by Stellantis, the automaker saved itself from further strike action when it offered to reinstate a cost of living adjustment and meet some other union demands minutes before Fain's Friday 10 a.m. deadline. It is a move that industry observers say likely saved thousands of ancillary parts supplier jobs in the state.

UAW president Shawn Fain talks with the news media after his speech from the bed of a Ford F-150 to striking workers many of whom caravanned in Ford Broncos and Jeeps to hear him at the UAW Solidarity House on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023.

"It would have been an interesting fallout in Michigan had he taken the Stellantis JNAP (Jefferson North Assembly Plant) in Detroit down, with the two other SUV plants going out,” said Laure Harbour, CEO of Harbour Results Inc.
'Good thing Stellantis came to the table'

Instead, Fain ordered some total 7,000 UAW members who work at Ford's Chicago Assembly — where Ford makes the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs — and workers at GM's Lansing Delta Township assembly — where GM makes the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse SUVs — to walk off the job at noon Friday. The strike action did not include GM Lansing Regional Stamping plant or Ford's Chicago Stamping Plant.

Members of the United Auto Workers union walk out of the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant as Lance Williams from Lansing, Ill., waves the UAW flag on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023,

Stellantis builds its Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs at JNAP. In the second quarter, sales of the Grand Cherokee rose 19% compared with the year-ago period.

“I thought, ‘Good thing Stellantis came to the table’ because that’s their moneymaker," Harbour said. "If he had hit JNAP, it would have hurt Sterling Stamping Plant and a host of other plants.”

Pat Green sighed in relief at the news Stellantis would be skipped over, too. Green is CEO of Cascade Die Casting Group, which makes aluminum and zinc die casting for the automotive and appliance industries.

"We have content on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and content on the Ram pickup," Green said. "So far, the full-size pickups have been spared. Every time I hear one of these announcements, that’s my concern that we’ll hit the full-size pickup each week."

It means each week, Green has had to quickly assess the impact of the latest strike target on his business, react to it and communicate with his 450 employees across two plants in Grand Rapids.

Striking workers, many of whom caravanned in Ford Broncos and Jeeps, listen to UAW President Shawn Fain talk with them at the UAW Solidarity House on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023.

"So far, we’re better than most, but it’s a real challenge," Green said. "We're managing by reducing overtime so everybody is still working. If this continues, we will have to have some volunteers take time off."


But, he said, come Oct. 1, as another hunting season starts in Michigan, he figures he’ll get volunteers.
'Deadline behavior'

The Stellantis last-minute intervention was also significant because it falls in with the logic of collective bargaining, said Harley Shaiken, professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley.

“All of a sudden the people at Stellantis said, ‘Wait a minute, what’s it going to cost to have more plants out several weeks versus sweetening the pot now?’ They did the math and that problem was solved. This indicates, not that we’re on the verge of a settlement, but that one is possible."

Stellantis, maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat brands, said it "has been intensely working with the UAW to find solutions to the issues that are of most concern to our employees while ensuring the company can remain competitive given the market’s fierce competition. We have made progress in our discussions, but gaps remain. We are committed to continue working through these issues in an expeditious manner to reach a fair and responsible agreement that gets everyone back to work as soon as possible."

Standing in the bed of a Ford F-150, UAW president Shawn Fain speaks to the crowd of strikers at the parking lot of the UAW Solidarity House on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, during a rally.

The UAW's latest move means that there are now a total of about 25,000 UAW members on strike across the nation. Fain first declared a strike as contract talks failed before the current contract expired at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14. Fain announced the first wave of plants to strike: Ford Michigan Assembly Plant (Final Assembly and Paint only) in Wayne, Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio and GM's Wentzville Assembly in Missouri.

Then, last week on Sept. 22, Fain ordered union members who work at 38 parts distribution centers cross the nation belonging to GM and Stellantis to go on strike. Those facilities provide parts to dealerships to do repairs on customers' cars. Ford was spared that time because it had made "significant" bargaining progress by agreeing to reinstate cost of living adjustments (COLA), eliminate some wage tiers, give the union a right to strike over any plant closures and more.

Fain was about a half hour late in what was to be a Facebook Live presentation to members Friday. The delay turned out to be due to Stellantis making its last-minute offer.

Art Wheaton, director of Labor Studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

"It’s called deadline behavior," said Art Wheaton, director of Labor Studies at Cornell University. "A lot of times in bargaining the best contracts don’t come until the deadline's about to expire. In this case, it shows they were still bargaining right up to the last minute. It was not preordained. They were still working on it."

Wheaton said he was relieved to see Stellantis make movement because he was concerned that it was the automaker making the least progress in the negotiations with the UAW. He said given that Ford made progress the week before and was exempted from strike action on Sept. 22 and now with Stellantis doing the same this Friday, he sees a pattern that shows Fain's strategy of setting these deadlines as moving the needle.

"My crystal ball says that you will hear more on Friday next week and I think both Ford and General Motors will say, 'We’re all getting close in our three offers, maybe we should give a better offer?’ " Wheaton said. "I don’t think you’ll hear more before Friday.”

Fain listed the issues in which Stellantis has made "significant progress" as reinstating the 2009 COLA formula, allowing the right not to cross a picket line, the right to strike over product commitments and plant closures and agreeing to some outsourcing moratoriums.
Fain has 'considerable room to ramp up'

"Deadlines produce action," said Marick Masters, a labor expert and business professor at Wayne State University. "It’s noteworthy that he backed off including Stellantis in this strike wave and he’s encouraged the automakers to compete against each other.”

There is also room to ratchet things up. At Ford, the facilities the union is striking have accounted for 18% of the automaker's total North American production in the past eight months, Masters said. For GM, the facilities the union has taken down, including the Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas, which GM had to idle due to the strike at Wentzville, Missouri, has made up 23% of GM’s production in the past eight months.

Aerial view of a car distribution center in Jessup, Maryland which, due to the United Auto Workers strike, has seen delayed to no shipments of new cars to various dealerships on the East Coast on Sept. 28, 2023.

“That’s another way of saying the UAW has considerable room to ramp up the strike activity in incremental phases if they want to nudge the parties further along toward an agreement," Masters said.

Shaiken added that it was a surprise that the union did not get a tentative agreement with Ford this past week given the UAW spared Ford's parts distribution centers from strike action last week. But the Stellantis progress indicates that negotiations are continuing and taking out the two SUV plants, is not "a huge infliction of pain. It was a costly move to the companies, but it was meant to speed the negotiations and not go back to square one.”
Another month and the fallout is fierce

But Masters warned if the strike lasts another month and broadens, the fallout will be fierce.

"You will see suppliers will be increasingly affected and more layoffs," Masters said. He said he has counted about 6,000 layoffs at suppliers, including those at GM's Fairfax, along with some associated with Ford's Wayne Assembly.

GM Lansing Delta Township UAW members, including Ryan Kosloski, right, picket, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, near Millett Highway and Creyts Road. Koloski's shirt shows the four in his family who also work at GM.

“I think that will progress, as dealers are unable to service cars, they may be forced to lay off people due to lost revenues," Masters said, referring to the parts distribution facilities currently shut down. "You’ll see an increasing ripple effect.”

Also, the longer the UAW goes without an agreement with an automaker, the pressure will grow in the rank and file, Masters said. He noted some already feel guilt that they have income while their union colleagues on the picket line are living on $500-a-week strike pay.

"That frustration will grow over time," Masters said. "Workers will start pressuring Shawn Fain."

UAW Local 602 members picket Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, near Millett Highway and Creyts Road in Delta Township.

It has already happened to some extent as one UAW member at Lansing Delta Township Assembly told the Free Press that the week-to-week unknown of which facility will strike next is a real nail-biter among workers. The person is not being named to protect their job security.

"It’s great that (Fain's) using social media, but people are still saying he didn’t give a timeline or when the next update will be," this union member said. "So it is just a whole different strategy. It makes people uneasy."

More: ‘Let me be blunt’: UAW VP for GM has strong words about Trump’s visit to Michigan

More: UAW workers walk off the job in Lansing while supporters come out for a rally in Detroit

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Stellantis COLA offer to UAW saved itself from more strike action