UAW authorizes strike against Big Three
Vote garners 97-percent support from membership; contact deadline is Sept. 14
The votes are in, and the message from the United Auto Workers (UAW) to the Big Three U.S. automakers is clear. The union employees are willing to walk if their contract demands aren’t met.
Local union halls in Kokomo and across the nation were filled this week with members casting their votes in support of going on strike. According to UAW International President Shawn Fain, the vote should leave no doubt in the minds of leadership at Stellantis, Ford, and General Motors.
Fain addressed the UAW membership in a live broadcast on Aug. 25.
“When I was sworn in five months ago and announced we'd be launching the biggest contract campaign our union has seen in decades, it was met with a lot of skepticism in some quarters,” said Fain. “But I knew then what we're seeing now. All of us are fed up with the Big Three’s race to the bottom.
“We're fed up with seeing Big Three profits break the bank while we're breaking our backs. We're fed up with Big Three CEOs getting double-digit pay increases while our pay continues to go backwards. We're fed up with plant closures, tiers, and corporate greed.”
Fain was particularly incensed by a claim from an executive from one of the Big Three automakers, claiming that the union needs to “focus on reality” and “work together” rather than pursue its list of contract demands, which includes pay raises, restoration of pensions and retiree healthcare, the elimination of tiered and temporary worker statuses, and job security.
“Let's talk about reality,” said Fain. “The reality is that the Big Three made a combined $21 billion in profits in just the first six months of this year. That's on top of the quarter trillion dollars in North American profits they made over the last decade.
“The reality is the Big Three have closed or spun off 65 plants over the last 20 years. Try telling workers of Belvedere Assembly, Lordstown Assembly, GM Powertrain in Warren, Ford's Romeo engine plant, Trenton engine plant, Marysville Axle … tell them all how working together has worked out for them.
“Try telling our retirees who haven't seen an increase by one cent over the last 17 years, while inflation has skyrocketed, how working together has worked for them. Tell all the temps that are living paycheck to paycheck, scraping to get by while they're working seven days a week, 12 hours a day in some places, with no commitment to their future, how working together works for them.”
Fain contended that the majority of Big Three UAW members today are “second-class workers” with no pensions or retiree healthcare. He claimed that wages have regressed over the past decade as inflation skyrocketed at rates not seen since the 1970s.
“How is that working together?” Fain asked. “Here's the simple truth that every real Unionist knows in the depths of their soul. When we're working together with management, it doesn't work. That's why contract talks are called collective bargaining.
“We've sat by for decades while these companies continue to just take and take from us. Our cost-of-living provisions were suspended back in the 2009. They weren't eliminated. They've been suspended for 14 years. It's time that comes back.”
Fain was encouraged by the overwhelming approval for strike authorization. That vote will fuel the union’s efforts at the bargaining table. But he warned that management will attempt to disrupt the solidarity displayed by the membership.
“We can expect the bosses to fight back,” said Fain. “Often, they try to scare us or confuse us, discourage and divide us. They might claim that our strike would wreck the economy. They're going to claim that the public's going turn against us. They might claim that our strike would wreck our employers and that they'll ship our jobs to other countries. It's all about fear.
“Our employers only value one thing: profit. They do not value us. And the only way the working class advances is if we stand together. The only way we're ever going to have an economy that works for the benefit of the many, and not the few, is if we're willing to fight for it. Employers don't give higher wages or better benefits out of the kindness of their hearts. They give up because the union bargains for it, and we make them. And that's exactly what 97 percent of you said you're ready to do.”
Fain explained that the current contract’s Sept. 14 expiration date is a firm deadline. With just 20 days left to negotiate, he described the companies as uncooperative and slow. He alleged that the automakers are not taking negotiations seriously and have yet to issue counterproposals to the union’s demands.
“It's got to happen in 20 days, and we can get there,” said Fain. “It is possible for us to get where we need to be. But these companies have to buckle down and get serious about your demands, and about you getting your share of equity.
“I've told each of the Big Three to come to the table next week with counterproposals to our demands. And I'll definitely keep all of you updated on bargaining. But what your negotiating teams need from all of you is keep applying pressure. Keep sharing your personal stories with the media. Keep reaching out to community groups and talking about our fight.
“This is our generation’s defining moment. And this isn't just our fight. It's what we desire for everyone. Our cause is righteous. The facts are on our side. Typically, the companies try to drag things out. We warned them from the onset that will not work. If that's their tactic, they're gonna be real disappointed come Sept. 14.”