VOLVO

Senator Tim Kaine stopped by the Volvo plant in Dublin today to learn more about electric trucks and that means getting a hands-on experience.

A small electric luxury SUV like the Audi Q4 e-tron might be just the right vehicle for you.

A project expected to create more than 100 jobs is no longer happening in Wythe County.

UPDATE:

All employees are safe and no one was hurt after a fire broke out at a small building not far from the Volvo Trucks New River Valley Operations in Dublin, according to a Volvo Trucks spokesperson.

A 40-year-old man is dead after a tractor-trailer crash on I-81 in Wythe County, according to Virginia State Police.

Leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Dublin highlighting the first electric truck in use from Volvo.

When negotiations failed to produce a new contract at a Volvo plant in Virginia this spring, its 2,900 workers went on strike.

Striking blue-collar workers at a Volvo heavy truck plant in southwestern Virginia have narrowly ratified what the company said was its final offer in a long labor dispute.

Volvo Trucks North America says some striking workers have crossed picket lines at a southwestern Virginia factory as the company plans to restart production.

Since February, the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2069 began negotiation with Volvo Trucks North America over a labor agreement.

Members of the United Auto Workers Local 2069 took another vote on a proposed employment agreement between Volvo Trucks North America Wednesday evening.

DUBLIN, Va. – A Volvo Trucks employee remains at home in self-isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus, according to the company. Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley operations was notified on Sunday that the person had tested positive. The employee last worked in the plant on May 29, according to Volvo Trucks. The company said it continues to follow policies consistent with CDC and OSHA guidelines, including professional sanitizing, social distancing and cleaning every day. The company also sent this statement to 10 News regarding changes it’s made:“Since returning to production, additional prevention measures have included: reduced production rates and reworking assembly tasks to increase social distancing; mandatory temperature checks before entry into the facility; mandatory wearing of facemasks; reconfiguring cafeteria, break and common areas to increase social distancing, as well as the addition of clear plastic partitions as a precaution; staggered start and break times to eliminate large groups of employees; modified turnstiles to remove hand-level rungs; and additional hand sanitizer stations near high-touch areas.”

Ralph Northam created the COVID-19 Business Task Force to seek advice on how to safely and responsibly create guidelines for businesses to reopen. He said he was excited to get the call to join the governor’s new task force. Ralph Northam's new COVID-19 Business Task Force. (WSLS)The task force has two dozen members who represent different industries in Virginia: manufacturing, salons, theaters, fitness centers, restaurants, wineries, etc. Another task force member is George Hodson of Veritas Winery in Nelson County.

DUBLIN, Va. – While there aren’t any cases of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) at the Volvo plant in Dublin, company officials said they are temporarily suspending production as part of the effort to slow the spread of the virus. The plant will suspend production from Monday, March 27, through the work week. Officials said they will reassess the situation and update the community with any new decisions. Company officials say during this time, they will look at new ways of working and opportunities for social distancing within the facility. Read the company’s full statement below:

The students were from the Pulaski County, Montgomery County and Radford city school systems and most were members of robotics teams. The students were touring a plant that’s experiencing the ups and downs of the trucking market, company leaders said. We think we are.”The plant reached 3,500 workers before the recent layoffs, which is double the number that there were three years ago. Amid the layoffs, Volvo is still pushing forward with planned expansion. Marchand said Volvo is ready for whatever the future brings.

DUBLIN, Va. – Around 700 people will be out of a job after Volvo announced it will lay off employees at the start of 2020. This comes after the manufacturer announced that it would invest nearly $400 million in the New River Valley. “We expect the total North American truck market to be down nearly 30 percent, or about 100,000 trucks, next year. And we expect one of Volvo’s core segments, the long-haul truck market, to represent a significant part of that reduction,” said Mies. There will reportedly be outplacement support meetings led by the company and UAW for all affected employees.

DUBLIN, Va. - Thousands of Volvo employees in the New River Valley could be back on the job soon. This comes as Mack Trucks announced they reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers Union. The new four-year agreement would cover about 3,500 employees at six facilities, including the one in Maryland that makes engines and transmissions for the trucks at the Volvo plant in Dublin. As we reported earlier this week, 3,000 people were laid off from the Volvo plant in Dublin. When full production resumes in Maryland, the Dublin workers should be returning to work.

PULASKI COUNTY, Va. - The United Auto Workers strike that began earlier this month is now being felt in the New River Valley. One of those facilities is the Hagerstown, Maryland, powertrain plant, which also supplies engines and transmissions to the Volvo truck assembly plant in Dublin. Last Thursday, five days after the strike began, Volvo advised employees at the Dublin plant that due to the effects of the strike on Hagerstown, truck production would be stopped in Dublin on Monday. Without production, Volvo temporarily laid off about 3,000 employees at the plant. Volvo says negotiations with UAW resumed Monday.

CAMPBELL COUNTY, Va. - An 80-year-old man is dead after a two-car crash in Campbell County. It happened Monday around 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of Route 501 and Eastbrook Road, according to Virginia State Police. The Volvo was unable to avoid striking the Camry, according to Virginia State Police. A medical emergency may have been a factor in the cause of the crash, according to Virginia State Police. Virginia State Police is investigating the incident.

PULASKI, Va. - The face of Pulaski County is changing. Were positioning ourselves to take full advantage of Pulaski Countys economic development success, Sweet said. Sweet says developers believe Pulaski County is a growing market, and they want to build new communities there. Pulaski Countys unemployment rate stands at 2.9%. A spokesperson said nearly a third of them live in Pulaski County.

DUBLIN, Va. - Volvo has announced that it will invest $400 million in its Dublin plant, adding nearly 800 jobs to the area, according to Gov. Volvo plans to move into 271 acres of adjacent land, nearly doubling its footprint in the area. The investment will create 777 jobs over the next six years. The chairman of the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors says this is the largest investment in the county's history. The Volvo facility in Dublin is the company's largest in the world, with 1.6 million square feet on nearly 300 acres and 3,500 employees.