UAW planning strike votes against Stellantis
The automaker has rolled back commitments the union says it won in last year’s collective bargaining agreement.
In this image from video, United Auto Workers members rally outside Stellantis' Sterling Heights Assembly Plant Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Sterling Heights.
The United Auto Workers plans to hold strike authorization votes at as many as 28 Stellantis local chapters in the next couple weeks.
Stellantis has rolled back a planned restart of production at a Jeep factory in Belvidere, Illinois. The commitment — which the union said it won in last year’s contract — was also supposed to include an auto parts hub and a new battery plant.
The UAW has also filed unfair labor practice charges against the automaker with the National Labor Relations Board.
The union says Stellantis has failed to keep workers updated on changes to product commitments. That includes shifting production of the Dodge Durango SUV from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario.
UAW workers launched a strike against all three automakers for six weeks during contract negotiations.
Union President Shawn Fain says automakers will be held accountable for violations of that contract.
““This is about enforcing a contract for all of us, we all sacrifice something to win these product and investment commitments,” Fain said in a video to members on Tuesday.
“We all — every plant — are at risk if the company can violate these agreements.”
In a statement, Stellantis says it doesn’t believe it has violated any part of the agreement.
“The commitments we made during 2023 negotiations span the life of the four-year, 7.5-month agreement, so it is not surprising that they haven’t been fully realized in the first year. And to be clear, Shawn Fain’s claim that the company has confirmed plans for the Dodge Durango is simply not true.”
The conflict with the UAW comes at a tumultuous time for the automaker, which builds Jeeps, Ram pickups, Chryslers and others.
Last week, the Stellantis National Dealer Council sent an open letter to CEO Carlos Tavares criticizing the automaker for degradation of the company’s brands.
After record profits last year, sales in 2024 have been sluggish. Though the automaker took “exception” to the letter and says sales improved over the summer.
The Dealer Council and the UAW agree there are issues with Stellantis leadership.
“We aren’t the problem. The market isn’t the problem. Carlos Tavares is the problem,” Fain said.
Read more:
- Fain, UAW rally in Warren after Stellantis announces mass layoffs at truck plant
- Looking back at the automotive labor movement in 2023
- UAW continues organizing efforts at non-union factories in the South
