UAW Demands Would Add $80 Billion to US Carmaker Labor Costs (1)

New contract demands made by the United Auto Workers union would add more than $80 billion to each of the biggest US automakers’ labor costs, according to people familiar with the companies’ estimates.

That large an increase to labor costs over the contract’s four-year term could wipe out profits and threaten the carmakers’ futures, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the analysis has not been made public.

It would increase hourly labor costs to more than $150 per hour at Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., including wages and benefits, up from the ...