25,000 auto workers are now on strike

2023-09-30 06:00:00

The automobile strike in the United States is still gaining momentum. The United Auto Workers (UAW) union called on Friday for 7,000 additional members to go on strike. Now, nearly 25,000 workers are on standstill at the three major American auto manufacturers for a social movement that has been underway for two weeks.

United States: Ford suspends construction work on a battery factory

The last two sites to go on strike are owned by Ford in Chicago and the other is owned by GM in Lansing, Michigan, according to UAW President Shawn Fain. For the moment, the union leader is not calling on more members to suspend their activity at Stellantis, the third member of the “ Big Three » (the three great historical manufacturers), due to “ significant progress » on several points currently being discussed.

This progress concerns in particular a mechanism for adjusting salaries to the cost of living and the right to strike in the event of an announcement of site closure and relocation. “ We are excited to see this momentum at Stellantis and hope to see it continue “, declared the president of the powerful automobile union.

Stellantis also recognized “ progress » in the talks, even if “ discrepancies remain “. The group, born from the merger between the French PSA and FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), was initially criticized by the UAW, as well as GM, for its inflexibility. The president of the UAW publicly attacked Ford this week for suspending, on Monday, construction work on a battery factory in Michigan, considered a major project of the Dearborn (Michigan) group. .

“We still have time, but not much time”

Ford management responded, accusing the UAW of bad faith for having told its members that the group’s transition to electric power would cause job cuts in the short term. “ None of our employees will lose their jobs due to our battery factories during the duration of the next collective agreement, or even following “, retorted Ford executive Jim Farley during a telephone press briefing.

« What is really frustrating is that we might have found a compromise on the salary aspects “, lamented the leader, “ but for now, the UAW has stuck to the issue of battery factories » « We still have time to reach an agreement and avoid a real disaster, but not much time », averti Jim Farley.

The biggest strike in the history of the American automobile industry is taking shape among the “Big Three” (Ford, GM, Stellantis)

Shawn Fain responded, accusing the Ford boss of “ lie regarding the state of negotiations » and accusing him of not having participated in the talks himself for weeks. “ If he had been here he would know that we submitted a full proposal to Ford on Monday and we still haven’t heard back “, he added. The union leader acknowledged that he fully intended to obtain employment guarantees as part of the transition to electricity.