Ahead of contract negotiations set to begin Thursday, the head of the United Auto Workers union declared that it’s prepared to strike against the Big Three US automakers.
In a Facebook address to UAW members Tuesday, UAW President Shawn Fain said nearly 150,000 members will strike if Ford, Stellantis and General Motors do not meet their demands.
“The Big Three is our strike target. And whether or not there’s a strike — it’s up to Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, because they know what our priorities are. We’ve been clear,” said Fain.
The contracts between the UAW and the Big Three expire on September 14. Negotiations with Stellantis begin Thursday, Ford on Friday and General Motors on Tuesday.
“If the Big Three don’t give us our fair share, then they’re choosing to strike themselves, and we’re not afraid to take action,” warned Fain.
In an op-ed last month Ford CEO Jim Farley said success will require adaptation including job losses but also job gains. The upcoming negotiations “should be about collaboration, not concessions — creative ideas, not confrontation. We have important work to do together with the UAW,” he said.
Stellantis said that they plan to preserve good wages and benefits for workers while remaining competitive in the global marketplace.
“Together, we must approach these negotiations with open minds and a willingness to roll up our sleeves to find solutions that will result in a contract that is competitive in the market, provides a path to the middle class for our employees and meets the needs of our customers,” the company said in a statement.
“We want to reach an agreement that positions the GM team, facilities and our business to succeed today and tomorrow,” said Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of global manufacturing, labor relations and sustainability, in a video message to employees.
In a break with tradition Fain said that he and other union leadership will not have a public handshake ceremony with the Big Three ahead of negotiations. Instead, today he will be shaking hands publicly only with union members.
“I’m not shaking hands with any CEOs until they do right by our members and fix the broken status quo of the Big Three,” said Fain.
He added, “We’re taking a different approach every step of the way,” noting there will be regular updates on negotiations for members.
The top three automakers all reported profits in the first quarter of this year.
“They’ve made a quarter of a trillion dollars in North American profits in the last 10 years, and they can afford to make things right for our members,” according to Fain.
The last auto workers strike was in 2019, when 48,000 UAW members at General Motors walked off the job for six weeks.
Energy secretary defends Biden against union animosity
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm defended President Joe Biden from a surprising amount of anger directed at the White House from Detroit’s auto union leaders amid the push to electric vehicles.
Granholm, the former governor of Michigan, described Biden as the “most pro-labor president in American history” and an “ally” and “friend” to auto union workers.
Although Biden has been endorsed for reelection by the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest labor federation, the United Auto Workers has held off in backing the president so far.
Asked if the UAW will ultimately back Biden, Granholm said: “I certainly hope so.”
“We’re very encouraged and hopeful that all of the unions will see the benefit of this presidency,” Granholm told CNN.
The tension between Biden and the auto union centers on the transition to electric vehicles.
The UAW has blasted Biden for using taxpayer money to subsidize EV battery factories without requiring strong wages for workers.
“Why is Joe Biden’s administration facilitating this corporate greed with taxpayer money?” Shawn Fain, the UAW’s newly-elected president, said last month after US officials awarded a $9.2 billion loan to Ford and South Korean battery maker SK to build three EV battery plants in the United States.
Granholm stressed that Biden wants these battery plants to be unionized or at least pay prevailing wages and to allow workers to collectively bargain.
“He would very much like to see that. And he’s an ally in that push,” Granholm said.
The energy secretary argued the EV investment boom that Biden has presided over has the potential to create substantially more union jobs.
“The amount of jobs in the full supply chain of the electric vehicle that are ripe for partnering with a labor union is enormous,” Granholm said.
Granholm said that about 300 electric vehicle, car company or battery suppliers that have announced plans to come to or expand in the United States, amounting to $140 billion worth of investment.
“Those are jobs all over the country, including in Michigan. We want them to be jobs that are friendly to organized labor. But they are jobs, and they are going to pay good-paying wages,” Granholm said.
Last week, the White House tapped Gene Sperling to serve as the administration’s point person in upcoming labor talks between the UAW and the nation’s big three unionized lawmakers.
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