TRENTON, Mich. – Fiat-Chrysler announced a healthy profit Thursday, and it's even more than Ford Motor Company made last year.
The future outlook is concerning Wall Street, though, and success is leaving some of Chrysler's line workers felling a bit frustrated.
Workers said they work hard to create some of the best vehicles in the industry, but while they toil for the seventh-largest automaker in the world, the payouts on their bonus checks seem paltry when compared with their counterparts at other top automakers.
On the strength of the new Ram truck and Jeep SUVs, FCA had a very good 2018, making just over $4 billion, up 3 percent from 2017 earnings.
The company had a strong fourth quarter: $1.4 billion, or a 61 percent improvement over last year. The cash rolled in so much that the company announced it is going to start paying a stock dividend for the first time in a decade.
That also means larger profit-sharing bonus checks for the UAW line workers.
In 2017, General Motors paid $11,750, just $250 short of the maximum payable. Ford paid $9,000. Last year, FCA paid $5,500.
This year, Chrysler was the only company to increase its payout. General Motors will pay $10,750, or 9 percent less. Ford announced a 15 percent cut to $7,600. FCA will pay $6,000, a 9 percent increase.
You can watch Rod Meloni's full story in the video posted above.