The story
History
American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) was founded in 1994 when a private investor group, led by Richard E. "Dick" Dauch, James W. McLernon, Raymond Park and Morton E. Harris purchased the Final Drive and Forge Business Unit from GM's Saginaw Division.
In 1999, AAM went public, and was traded as "AXL" on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) until becoming "DCH" on its 2026 renaming to Dauch. AAM grew to supply various OEM manufacturers around the globe in the passenger car, light truck, and commercial vehicle segments.
The company's World Headquarters building, erected in 2004, is located on the Detroit/Hamtramck border.
AAM was renamed Dauch in 2026.
2008 strike
On February 26, 2008, approximately 4600 AAM employees went on what would be a three-month-long strike to protest a proposed wage and benefit cut by the company's management. The proposal would reduce production workers' hourly wage from $28 to $18 and cut skilled trade wages $5 per hour. The strike cost General Motors $2.6 billion as the automaker lost the production of its Chevrolet Malibu sedan and other vehicles.
2026 strike
On midnight at June 1, 2026, the United Auto Workers declared a strike at Dauch's Three Rivers production facility, affecting nearly 1,000 employees, in response to Dauch failing to reach a deal with the union regarding wage hikes before the May 31 deadline. UAW president Shawn Fain criticized the company for making an "empire of profit" of $8.4 billion since the UAW agreed to drop wages in 2008. In response to the strike, the company stated it "believes that the best outcomes for everyone – our Associates, the union, and the Company – are reached at the bargaining table. We remain committed to negotiating with the union in good faith and hope to promptly reach a fair agreement."
From Wikipedia’s article on Dauch Corporation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5