Ohio Plant

The group gathered outside the State House to demand action on a pair of proposals before the lawmakers that would raise the lowestin-the-nation labor rate for auto body repairs.

The bills, H.1111 and S.709, both called “An Act to establish minimum reimbursement rate to insurance claimants,” are currently being ironed out between the legislative chambers through a joint committee. Both would set the rate for repair at upwards of $78 per hour of labor, according to advocates.

The current rate is just $40 per hour, which, according to the group, is the lowest in the nation and just $10 more than it was in 1988.

AASP-MA Executive Director Evangelo “Lucky” Papageorg said the industry is filled with technicians that started because they thought it was a cool job, one that they learned to love. That passion, he said, does not feed their families though.

“The problem is that loving and cool don’t pay the bills. We need to be able to pay the bills,” he said.

The bills have until June 30 to clear the committee, after which the legislature would have just a month before the end of the session to approve and send them to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.

Standing in the way, according to former state Sen. Guy Glodis, are insurance companies that want to keep reimbursements low.

Glodis said auto body workers first approached him in 2003, saying their wages were so low they couldn’t compete to keep workers from leaving the state. He said the problem was recognized by legislative leadership, who said they would do something about it.

“Folks, that was over 20 years ago—nothing has been done,” he said. “We’re here to educate the legislature about the greed and the injustice and the dishonesty of what’s going on with the insurance industry where they are purposely stagnating and suppressing wages.

“It hurts business and it hurts families,” he said.

Fisker Inc. confirmed it will produce its second vehicle, the Fisker PEAR, at the factory Foxconn recently bought from Lordstown Motors Corp. in Lordstown, OH.

The Fisker PEAR will enter production in 2024. Both the Fisker and Foxconn teams are fully engaged and expect to build a minimum of 250,000 Fisker PEAR units a year at the plant after a ramp up period.

“The PEAR will be a revolutionary electric vehicle that won’t fit into any existing segment. The exterior design will feature new lighting technology and a wraparound front windscreen inspired by a glider plane glass canopy, enhancing frontal vision,” Fisker Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker said, adding that he plans to visit the factory with a team of engineers on May 13.

“Our engineering group is working on new features and high-tech solutions for the PEAR that will change how we use and enjoy a vehicle in the city,” Fisker said.

The Fisker PEAR follows the company’s first vehicle, the Fisker Ocean, which will start production in Austria on Nov. 17.

The Fisker PEAR will have an expected base price below $29,900 before incentives. Fisker has designed and engineered the vehicle to reduce parts for rapid, simplified manufacturing. The Fisker PEAR will be built on a new proprietary architecture. This new platform will underpin two additional models that Fisker will introduce at a later date.

Source: Fisker Inc.

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