The United Auto Workers union is accusing General Motors of violating a national contract by using temporary workers instead of employing full-timers who were laid off from its factories.  The union filed a federal lawsuit in Cleveland alleging that GM has temporary workers at its pickup truck plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The lawsuit says GM has about 1,000 workers on layoff from several factories who should be working at the plant.  The UAW says its contract with GM requires it to hire the laid-off workers, including 690 at a small-car plant in Lordstown, Ohio, which is scheduled to close in March.

The legal move is another sign of acrimony between GM and the union ahead of negotiations on a new contract that will start this summer. GM’s contract with the union expires on Sept. 14.

GM wouldn’t say how many temporary workers are employed in Fort Wayne, but the company says it started the process late last year to bring in about 50 laid-off Lordstown workers. About 35 will be working in Fort Wayne by the end of January, GM said in a statement. The company said it’s talking with the union about staffing in Fort Wayne, and it declined further comment.  In November, GM announced plans to shutter five factories this year as it adjusts to lower demand for cars.

A price-tracking service says the national average for gasoline will surge to about $3 a gallon by May before easing the rest of 2019.

GasBuddy predicted Wednesday that the full-year average price will settle at $2.70 a gallon, about 3 cents lower than 2018.  The U.S. average is about $2.22 a gallon now, down 70 cents from three months ago due to lower oil prices.

GasBuddy predicts prices will rise this spring as OPEC cuts oil production and the U.S. economy remains strong, generating demand for gasoline.  Oil prices climbed Wednesday. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 2.5 percent to $46.56 a barrel in afternoon trading in New York. International Brent crude was up 2.2 percent to $55 a barrel in London.