Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Kia, UAW/Unions, South Korea
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Kia has navigated around a potential strike by organized labor in Korea. According to Automotive News, the manufacturer joined [GM Korea](http://www.autoblog.com/tag/gm korea) and Ssangyong Motor Company in reaching agreements with the companies’ workers for better pay, pending a “yea” vote by employees. Kia workers successfully negotiated a 5.2 percent wage increase as well as bonus pay worth over $6,600 at current conversion rates. In addition, each worker will be granted 80 shares in the company. GM Korea, meanwhile agreed to give its employees a 4.7 percent wage increase as well as record-level bonuses. That move comes on the heels of the automaker’s first annual profit since 2007
Kia has a vested interest in keeping its plants operational due to unusually low inventory levels. With Japanese automakers struggling to regain their footing following the disruption to industry caused by the T