UAW moves toward Stellantis strike as tensions escalate
The United Auto Workers will ask members to green light a strike against Stellantis NV, escalating an already tense standoff with one of the world’s largest car manufacturers.
The United Auto Workers will ask members to green light a strike against Stellantis NV, escalating an already tense standoff with one of the world’s largest car manufacturers.
Anxious and angry about Stellantis’ delay, union leaders have threatened to strike, a move that could extend beyond Stellantis. Labor experts say its two Detroit-area rivals, Ford and General Motors, are watching as they weigh their own strategies
President Shawn Fain accused the company of reneging on promises to restart a now-closed assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, just over an hour northwest of Chicago.
The charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board allege that, during their conversation on X, former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk illegally threatened and intimidated workers who engage in protected labor activity, such as strikes.
Fain, a Kokomo native, is under investigation by a court-appointed watchdog who has been working to stamp out corruption at the union in the wake of its stunning bribery and embezzlement scandal several years ago.
The union said last week said that nearly 9,000 workers at the massive plant in Louisville would walk picket lines starting Friday if the contract dispute was not resolved.
The United Auto Workers said nearly 9,000 workers at the Kentucky Truck Plant will strike Friday if the local contract dispute is not resolved.
The UAW unveiled a website where workers at 13 different companies can electronically sign union authorization cards in a first step toward attempting to organize their factories.
The United Auto Workers union overwhelmingly ratified new contracts with Ford and Stellantis, that along with a similar deal with General Motors will raise pay across the industry, force automakers to absorb higher costs and help reshape the auto business.
With the deals set to be approved, workers at Ford and Stellatis will join counterparts at General Motors in ratifying the record contracts, ending a contentious labor dispute that brought a punishing series of strikes over six weeks.
The agreements provide a blueprint for which vehicles Stellantis, Ford and General Motors intend to build in the coming years and where they will do so.
The United Auto Workers provided some information on the deals, including a detailed explanation of the agreement it reached with Ford. The agreement is expected to become the model for later settlements with GM and Stellantis.
The contract with General Motors is similar to those reached by Ford and Stellantis, but there are some differences.
The four-year deal, which still has to be approved by 57,000 union members at Ford, could set the pattern for agreements with General Motors and Stellantis.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said Friday that while Detroit’s automakers have increased their wage and benefit offers, he believes the union can gain more if it holds out longer in contract talks.
United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain is expected to update members Friday afternoon on progress in contract talks with Detroit’s three automakers as movement was reported with General Motors.
In a rare speech during contract talks in the company’s hometown of Dearborn, Michigan, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford said high labor costs could limit spending to develop new vehicles and invest in factories.
UAW President Shawn Fain told workers in a live video appearance that the companies started gaming the system, waiting until Fridays to make progress in bargaining.
The UAW contends that the layoffs are unjustified and were imposed as part of the companies’ pressure campaign to persuade union members to accept less favorable terms in negotiations with automakers.
With the UAW strike now in its fourth week, EVs and their potential impact on job security have become central to union negotiations with the automakers.