Autoworkers at thirteen factories across the United States are reportedly planning to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) in the wake of the union’s recent successful strike action against Ford, General Motors and Stallantis.
The organizing drive is expected to involve over 150,000 autoworkers in factories owned by BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. UAW calls it “an unprecedented move” because of the sheer size and scope of people interested in joining the union.
UAW President Shawn Fain said in a video statement that for all the autoworkers working without union support, and who want better working conditions, “Now it’s your turn.”
“You don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck. You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay your rent or feed your family while the company makes billions. A better life is out there,” he said.
“The money is there. The time is right. And the answer is simple,” Mr. Fain added.
According to financial market data platform Macrotrends, General Motor’s gross profit for the twelve months ending Sept. 30, 2023, was over $21 billion. Ford’s gross profit for the same timeframe was over $26 billion, while Stallantis’ profits were around the $10 billion mark.
Strike Action Inspiring Workers Across the Auto Industry
No reliable figures exist on how much the strike cost the three big automakers. It’s been estimated the figure could be well into the hundreds of millions, possibly stretching into the billions over the month and a half workers walked off the job.According to UAW, the strike has had a ripple effect on the rest of the industry as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru and Hyundai all announced plans to increase wages for their workers, possibly in the hopes of avoiding similar strike actions that would see production grind to a halt.
However, people working in some of the locations owned by those companies have said they are still planning to join the union in the hopes of getting better conditions.
Jeff Allen, a 29-year team member at Toyota’s Georgetown assembly complex, where 7,800 workers make the company’s Camry, RAV 4 and Lexus ES, told the UAW the raise won’t dissuade workers from organizing. According to Mr. Allen, a minor pay increase isn’t enough to compensate for the steady loss of other benefits.
“We’ve lost so much since I started here, and the raise won’t make up for that, it won’t make up for the health benefits we’ve lost, it won’t make up for the wear and tear on our bodies,” he said.
“We still build a quality vehicle. People take pride in that, but morale is at an all-time low. They can give you a raise today and jack up your health benefits tomorrow,” Mr. Allen added.
According to another worker who spoke to UAW, the successful strike action against the big three has inspired auto workers to expect more from their employers as well. Isaac Meadows, a team member at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, told UAW that after seeing the benefits awarded to the strikers, conversations were sparked around the true worth of auto workers and what they provide to their employers.
“We saw what the UAW members won, and it started us thinking that we as workers are worth a lot more than our company currently values us at,” Mr. Meadows said.
Specifically, Mr. Meadows has been questioning company policies that force him and his colleagues to use their paid time off while the factory is shut down.
The continuous operation of production lines places considerable stress on the machinery and equipment. As a result, most auto manufacturers will shut down their factories at certain times throughout the year to carry out maintenance tasks and facility upgrades. Depending on the location, the weather might also be too harsh for workers to work safely during parts of the year.
“Like most auto plants, we shut down in the summer and winter, but we’re not paid for that. We have to use our paid-time-off,” Mr. Meadows said.
“For me, that means I have just two days of PTO to use for the rest of the year. We’re not trying to break the bank, but VW can do better and change this from a good job to a great career.”
The Epoch Times has contacted several of the mentioned auto manufacturers for comment.
