GM’s need to free up cash to invest in electrics has led it to make deep cuts in its core business, including its decision to close four U.S. factories —a main point of friction in the longest walkout at GM since 1970. For the UAW, there’s no avoiding the harsh reality of a wider transition taking hold across the auto industry: Building electric vehicles requires far fewer workers, making it near-impossible to avoid job losses and wage cuts. In addition, fewer components are needed, and many of them are imported. That means the union, which represents about 225,000 workers at U.S. auto makers and suppliers, faces a fight to play a central role in the industry’s electric-focused future. The engine and transmission have long been at the heart of the automobile—and a sector employing hundreds of thousands in the U.S. But electric cars have fewer moving parts and are […]