UAW Locals Preparing to Strike Stellantis – National Strike?

The UAW said today that several UAW locals representing tens of thousands of workers under the national UAW Stellantis agreement are prepared to file grievances over the Stellantis’ failure to keep its investment commitments and honor the union contract,. This, of course leads to a  national strike at Stellantis, if necessary.

“This company made a commitment to autoworkers at Stellantis in our union contract, and we intend to enforce that contract to the full extent,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “On behalf of autoworkers everywhere, we’re standing up against a company that wants to go back on its commitments and drive a race to the bottom at the expense of the American worker.”

In the 2023 UAW Stellantis agreement, the UAW won the right to strike over product and investment commitments, and a historic commitment to reopen Belvidere Assembly, which was indefinitely idled in early 2023. “Since ratification, the company has gone back on its product commitments at Belvidere, and has been unreceptive in talks with the union to stay on track,” the UAW said.

Aside from the impact on Belvidere, this glaring violation of the contract imperils all of the other investment commitments the company has made, and also impacts Stellantis members nationally, as they will not have those jobs for transfer opportunities in the event of layoffs.

Under the UAW Stellantis contract, once an issue has been taken through the grievance procedure, the union may authorize a strike over the grievance. UAW Stellantis members are prepared to take action if necessary,” the UAW said.

The language of the grievance filed

“The Company has informed the Union that it will not launch the Belvidere Consolidated Mopar Mega Hub in 2024, it will not begin stamping operations for the Belvidere Mega Hub in 2025 and it will not begin production of a midsize truck in Belvidere in 2027. The Company’s failure to plan for, fund and launch these programs constitute a violation of the U.S. Investment letter in the P&M and OC&E Collective Bargaining Agreements. During 2023 National Negotiations the parties agreed to the investment plan for Belvidere to address job security concerns impacting bargaining unit members throughout the entire system. The Company’s failure to honor its commitments in the U.S. Investment letter is a serious concern to all bargaining unit members.

Demand: The Union demands that the Company rescind its decision to push back the above-referenced launches and immediately plan for and fund the Belvidere investments in order to comply with the agreed upon timeline for launching the Belvidere Mega Hub (2024), the Belvidere Stamping operation (2025) and Belvidere midsize truck production (2027).”

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
This entry was posted in auto news, customer satisfaction, economy, labor issues, manufacturing, news analysis, transportation and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *