The UAW is threatening recent, smaller strikes against Stellantis — while also battling pressure from a court-appointed monitor

What's behind the rift between the UAW and Stellantis?

On September 16, 2024, the The UAW filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board against Stellantis.

The UAW accuses the corporate of violating its commitment to take a position within the United States within the 2023 labor agreement. Their biggest concern is the dearth of progress on Stellantis' plans Reopening of a disused factory in BelvidereIllinois, and establishing additional operations on this small town. The other most important point of contention is that the corporate supposedly plans to do that Stop producing Dodge Durango SUVs in Detroit and assemble them in Mexico as a substitute.

Stellantis “wants to take back the deal” UAW President Shawn Fain said in September in reference to the contract his union had agreed to with the corporate in 2023. “We intend to enforce our contract and force Stellantis to fulfill its promise” – possibly through a strike.

The automaker denies violating the conditions of the employment contract signed with the UAW in fall 2023. This deal included clauses allowing the corporate to relocate investments and operations to recent locations as market conditions and the corporate's financial performance warrant.

Stellantis sales have fallen sharply around the globe, including in North America last 12 months. The company's Profits fell almost 50% in the primary half of 2024. Stellantis has laid off nearly 2,500 employees at a factory in Warren, Michigan, and the corporate announced this could furlough more employees.

The UAW argues that Stellantis has other options, equivalent to: withholds pay raises for its top executives.

What's fallacious with Ford?

The UAW announced that it had authorized a strike at midnight on September 26, 2024, that may have involved roughly 500 tool employees on the Dearborn, Michigan, factory where Ford makes its popular F-150 pickup trucks.

UAW Local 600 and Ford had been negotiating for greater than a 12 months on an area agreement that may expire in 2023 similtaneously the national agreement. The two sides reached a preliminary agreement on September 25, 2024avert a strike.

The most important points of contention with Ford were job security, outsourcing and equal pay within the expert trades.

How has Fain done thus far?

I consider Fain received high marks for his performance since taking office in March 2023. He led the UAW through an modern strike and used a brand new technique to concurrently negotiate contracts with Detroit's three major automakers. These agreements significantly increased wages and enabled billions of dollars in recent investments within the United States that may improve job stability for union members.

As he led the UAW through the 2023 strikes and worked to recruit recent members, Fain opened and expanded direct channels of communication with the union's rank and file. He, for instance, often conducts livestream presentations to maintain members updated and make essential announcements. He also often visits strike and organizing sites to convey the UAW message to members and their local communities.

But there are also setbacks and tensions.

Fain and the remaining of the UAW leadership are still fighting a rigorous oversight process led by Neil Barofskythe federal monitor for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. He was appointed in 2021 to make sure the union was freed from corruption following a deal the UAW reached with the federal government in 2020. The settlement concluded a multi-year corruption investigation This led to convictions and prison sentences for several union leaders who were found guilty of embezzlement, extortion, and other crimes.

Barofsky is now Investigating allegations that Fain retaliated against two other high-ranking union officials for his or her refusal to obey orders they considered inappropriate, equivalent to: Providing advantages to Fain's fiancée. Barofsky also blamed the union be too slow to share documents.

How is the UAW's campaign to recruit recent members going?

The UAW launched an ambitious campaign in late 2023 to unionize the greater than a dozen non-union automakers within the United States. So far she has achieved an awesome victory.

Workers on the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted to hitch the UAW in April 2024. The union is currently negotiating its first collective agreement with the German company.

But a month later, the UAW lost an organizing vote on the Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama, where 56% of rank-and-file employees were represented voted against the UAW representation.

The UAW didn't do this filed all other petitions with the NLRB to vote on union membership in a non-union company.

What role does the UAW play within the 2024 elections?

After receiving additional commitments from the Biden administration for a more union-friendly transition to electric vehicle production, the The UAW endorsed President Joe Biden. It endorsed Kamala Harris shortly after Biden abandoned his re-election bid – as usual most unions.

But this That doesn't mean every UAW member will vote for Harris in 2024. Just about Two-thirds of union members consider within the Democratic Party best serves their interests, in line with a 2024 Gallup poll.

Some UAW members who don't support Harris support Trumpdespite the fact that the previous president did explained that he “hates” paying extra time and supports firing striking employees, which is against the law. Other UAW members oppose it The Biden administration's policy within the Middle East.

Despite this division, the UAW was committed to this Votes for Harrisparticularly in Michigan, a key swing state where around 130,000 of its members live.

“I think we’re going to win Michigan.” Fain said in an interview in early August with CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We have to keep going until the end of this thing. And make sure it happens, and it will happen.”