UAW increases pressure on Big 3 automakers
Kokomo stays on the job as Stellantis makes concessions at the table
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The thousands of United Auto Workers (UAW) in Kokomo will remain on the job as the strike against the Big 3 automakers expanded today. UAW International President Shawn Fain addressed his membership on Sept. 29, calling for walk-outs in Chicago and Lansing, Mich., against Ford and General Motors (GM).
Stellantis avoided a similar shutdown by coming to the bargaining table just moments before Fain was to go live at 10 a.m. The development delayed Fain’s address, providing some hope that the two sides have moved closer to an agreement.
“Moments before this broadcast. Stellantis made significant progress on the 2009 cost of living allowance, the right not to cross the picket line, as well as the right to strike over product commitments and plant closures and outsourcing moratoriums,” said Fain. “We are excited about this momentum at Stellantis and hope it continues. Until then, we will keep building our arsenal of democracy, and we will win.”
The ”arsenal of democracy” Fain described is a reference to a description given to the UAW during World War II as it manufactured B24 Liberator bombers to aid in the war effort. The UAW recently walked out of the GM Willow Run facility where those bombers were built, causing Fain to reframe the description.
“Our union was essential in building what was called the arsenal of democracy,” said Fain. “Just like 80 years ago, today, our union is building a different arsenal of democracy. But this war isn't against some foreign country. The frontlines are right here at home. It's the war of the working class versus corporate greed. We are the new arsenal of democracy. The workers are the liberators. And our strike is the vehicle for liberation.”
Fain highlighted several of the work stoppages initiated recently by the UAW, within the Big 3 automakers and beyond. Local 644 near Philadelphia is striking against outdoor adventure product manufacturer Dometic. Local 997 in Newton, Iowa, is on strike against Faber. UAW-represented employees of Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Michigan are on strike to stop outsourcing. In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Mercedes faces a shut down as UAW axle manufacturing workers go idle.
The fight for workers is taking place, as Fain said, across the nation “from east to west and north to south”
“Mercedes is learning the same lesson we're teaching the Big 3,” said Fain. “Not a single wheel will turn without us.”
Fain explained that corporations in nearly every instance are dragging out bargaining until the last minute or allowing contracts to expire without new agreements. In each case, the UAW members have authorized strikes, and the union has exercised that power, sometimes with violent results.
“We have over 18,000 Big 3 members on strike at 41 facilities in 21 states,” said Fain. “I want to take a moment to acknowledge something very disturbing. We've seen it on a few picket lines and we've heard of multiple instances from California to Michigan to Massachusetts, of violence against our picketers from people crossing our picket line.
“We've had guns pulled on us, trucks and cars ran through us, and violent threats hurled at us. I want to be absolutely clear: we will not be intimidated into backing down by the companies or their scabs. Our cause is just. We are striking for a better future to protect our communities and to defeat corporate greed. It’s not just our right, it's our duty. And shame on anyone that would engage in this violence against our members to the public.”
As for Ford and GM, Fain called on UAW members at Ford’s Chicago Assembly plant and GM’s Lansing Delta Township facility to go out on strike; an additional 7,000 workers idled.
“Sadly, despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress at the table,” said Fain. “That's why at noon Eastern time today, we will expand our strike to these two companies. To be clear, negotiations haven't broken down. We're still talking with all three companies. And I'm still very hopeful that we can reach a deal that reflects the incredible sacrifices and contributions our members have made over the last decade.
“But I also know that what we win at the bargaining table depends on the power we build on the job. It's time to use that power ... We knew going into this fight that the road ahead was going to be difficult. And we knew that it was unlikely this will be quick. Our anger is righteous. We are fed up with corporate greed. We are fed up with corporate excess. We are fed up with breaking our bodies for companies that take more and more and give less and less.”