Organized labor has a new foothold in the American South’s burgeoning automotive supply chain. The United Auto Workers’ landslide victory to unionize a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee is a landmark vote as the union seeks to expand its role at foreign-owned factories in the South. The WSJ’s Mike Colias reports that the union hopes the win will serve as a springboard for organizing drives at plants owned by automakers including Toyota, BMW, Kia and Tesla. In the near term, the UAW’s arrival will force changes at U.S. operations of VW, with issues including wages and work schedules likely on the agenda. The bigger issue is the potential impact across the region, where automakers have established bases for production of new-technology electric vehicles and batteries. The next step will come at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama, where workers are expected to vote next month on possible UAW representation.

• Volkswagen works closely with labor unions in Germany, but the UAW is signaling a more adversarial tone in Tennessee. (WSJ)
• Logistics workers at U.K. supermarket chain Morrisons are voting on a potential strike. (Motor Transport)

Trade conflicts between the U.S. and China are turning into a tit-for-tat confrontation that is adding new complications to international goods flows. China in the latest round slapped a levy on imports from the U.S. of a widely used chemical, the WSJ’s Jason Douglas and Clarence Leong report, a small but crucial salvo in the escalating trade dispute between Washington and Beijing. The move came just days after President Biden called for higher tariffs on Chinese steel and the U.S. began antidumping probes centered on China’s shipbuilding, maritime and logistics industries. It’s a sign of how global supply chains are being buffeted by growing tariffs, trade restrictions and sanctions that tie together national industrial policies, geopolitics and trade. The chemical in question in the latest dispute is propionic acid, made by Dow and Eastman Chemical. The global market was only $1.3 billion in 2022, with China accounting for about a quarter of global consumption.

• The U.S. is imposing new sanctions and export controls on Iran in response to the country’s recent air attack on Israel. (WSJ)
• Russia’s sanctioned vessels have changed their behavior but many are still freely taking part in international trade. (Lloyd’s List)

The battle over global renewable energy supply chains is weighing heavily on French solar-panel manufacturer Photowatt. The company once powered Europe’s ambition to become a renewables production giant. Now, the WSJ’s Matthew Dalton reports, Photowatt is instead hanging by a thread, and has become a symbol of the West’s struggles to fend off fierce competition from China. Photowatt’s fate, and the decimation of Europe’s solar-panel industry, provides a warning for the U.S. as Washington considers how to insulate American industries against low-cost Chinese imports. The renewables sector is part of a broad industrial conflict underway as Beijing seeks to stimulate its economy through investment in manufacturing as the U.S. and Europe are trying to stand up their own production. China’s green-energy exports pose a dilemma for the West. The high-performing solar panels can help countries reach their climate goals, but the cheap cost of the equipment undercuts domestic manufacturers.

The dollar has gained 9% against the yen and recently hit a 34-year high against the Japanese currency. (WSJ)

Schneider Electric is in talks to take over engineering-software company Bentley Systems. (WSJ)

Procter & Gamble sales and profits rose last quarter, boosted by higher prices in international markets and rising volumes in the U.S. (WSJ)

Canada’s industry minister is trying to lure several foreign grocers to the country to increase food-retailing competition. (WSJ)

Air-safety officials are mounting a new push to ease fatigue among air traffic controllers. (WSJ)

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is pushing large numbers of commercial trucks onto overburdened neighborhood roads. (Baltimore Banner)

Online furniture retailer Wayfair plans to open its first physical store next month in Wilmette, Ill. (CNN)

Swiss confections supplier Barry Callebaut is investing in cocoa farming as prices for the key chocolate ingredient soar. (Bloomberg)

The Port of Rotterdam’s container throughput rose in the first quarter for the first time in three years. (Port Technology)

CMA CGM is in talks to sell the Polynesian business at Bolloré’ Logistics to the Balguerie Group. (The Loadstar)

Alibaba launched a marketplace offering logistics services targeting small and medium-sized companies. (Parcel and Postal Technology)

BNSF Railway is threatening to sue a Texas city after regulators recommended denying the railroad’s application to build a large logistics center. (Dallas Morning News)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.