Fiat Chrysler could lose $40 million weekly profit from strike: analyst

DETROIT (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV stands to lose $40 million of operating profit a week from a strike of its plants by the U.S. labor union United Auto Workers, said an analyst with the Center for Automotive Research. Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based automobile industry consultancy, said the figure is based on the estimated per-vehicle profit of Fiat Chrysler autos sold in the U.S. market. Labor costs have fallen to about 4 percent of the total price of a vehicle at Fiat Chrysler, down from 15 percent at Detroit automakers in the late 1990s, McAlinden said. (Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Bernard Orr)