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UAW Local 2093 members at American Axle, aka Dauch Corporation, today announced plans to hold a strike authorization vote starting 11 May. Results will be counted on 12 May, with the chance for workers to walk out of the Three Rivers plant starting May 31 when the current contract expires. Local 2093 members laid out their demands in a video released earlier in March, which include: no concessions, fairer wages and profit sharing, better health care, stronger retirement, and job security. *
“UAW Local 2093 members at American Axle have been loyal to their company for decades and during these negotiations we are here for our fair share.” said UAW Region 1D Director Steve Dawes. “This company is making billions every year – these workers are ready to do whatever it takes to win a record contract that’s long past due.”
“In 2008, workers at American Axle took major sacrifices to save the facility from closure during the Great Recession. Many long-time workers who were making as much as $29 an hour in 2008 saw their wages slashed to $14.50. Today, eighteen years later, workers are still yet to make up all that lost ground, with wages at American Axle currently topping out at $22 an hour after a five-year progression, with inflation-adjusted wages cut in half from their pre-2008 levels.
“Meanwhile, in the last decade, as a Tier 1 parts supplier to General Motors, American Axle has generated $8.4 billion in profits. Over that time, the company’s CEO has been paid $111 million, with the top five executives receiving nearly $231 million in compensation – while UAW members working at the Three Rivers plant struggle to afford basic needs, with some even forced to sleep in their cars,” the UAW said.
Woodward MPC
In another UAW organizing move, more than 800 workers at Woodward MPC in Niles, Illinois will take a strike authorization vote after the company has allegedly illegally refused to bargain for months, signaling a potential work stoppage at a producer of defense and aerospace equipment in the Chicago area.
“I’ve got a message for the company: Woodward, the clock is running out,” said UAW President Shawn Fain, rallying yesterday with Woodward MPC workers. “We will be holding a strike authorization vote. Woodward has a choice to make: This company can either negotiate a fair contract for the workers who make this place run. Or the workers will shut shit down, with the full backing of the UAW International Union.”
“We’ve got a company that has been given billions in taxpayer dollars through federal contracts and state subsidies, while the workers who pay the taxes can’t get a damn raise,” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell “Is that justice? Hell no. What we are asking for at Woodward is really simple. When you make billions off of your workers, pay them what they’re worth. Let them have basic time off. Make the progression fair, and get back to the negotiating table.”
“Woodward is offering our members a thirteen cent raise at a time when the company is making record profits,” said Jose Tapia, Woodward worker and President of UAW Local 5101. “That is what they offered, and then they refused to bargain. So, before this company decided to break the law and walk away from the table altogether, they told us what they think of us. Because they think they can offer us nothing. Break the law. And we’ll take it. We are here to show them exactly how wrong they are.”
“Woodward workers voted to affiliate with the UAW last fall. Since then, the company has [allegedly] committed more than three dozen unfair labor practices, including total refusal to negotiate with the union. Workers are fighting for industry-leading wages, fair progression, time off, and job security.
“Woodward has made over $1.7 billion in profits since 2020, and has paid its CEO more than $30 million in that timeframe, while more than 800 Local 5101 workers struggle to make ends meet,” the UAW said.
*AutoInformed on
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.
May Day – UAW Strike Votes at American Axle, Woodward MPC
Click for more.
UAW Local 2093 members at American Axle, aka Dauch Corporation, today announced plans to hold a strike authorization vote starting 11 May. Results will be counted on 12 May, with the chance for workers to walk out of the Three Rivers plant starting May 31 when the current contract expires. Local 2093 members laid out their demands in a video released earlier in March, which include: no concessions, fairer wages and profit sharing, better health care, stronger retirement, and job security. *
“UAW Local 2093 members at American Axle have been loyal to their company for decades and during these negotiations we are here for our fair share.” said UAW Region 1D Director Steve Dawes. “This company is making billions every year – these workers are ready to do whatever it takes to win a record contract that’s long past due.”
“In 2008, workers at American Axle took major sacrifices to save the facility from closure during the Great Recession. Many long-time workers who were making as much as $29 an hour in 2008 saw their wages slashed to $14.50. Today, eighteen years later, workers are still yet to make up all that lost ground, with wages at American Axle currently topping out at $22 an hour after a five-year progression, with inflation-adjusted wages cut in half from their pre-2008 levels.
“Meanwhile, in the last decade, as a Tier 1 parts supplier to General Motors, American Axle has generated $8.4 billion in profits. Over that time, the company’s CEO has been paid $111 million, with the top five executives receiving nearly $231 million in compensation – while UAW members working at the Three Rivers plant struggle to afford basic needs, with some even forced to sleep in their cars,” the UAW said.
Woodward MPC
In another UAW organizing move, more than 800 workers at Woodward MPC in Niles, Illinois will take a strike authorization vote after the company has allegedly illegally refused to bargain for months, signaling a potential work stoppage at a producer of defense and aerospace equipment in the Chicago area.
“I’ve got a message for the company: Woodward, the clock is running out,” said UAW President Shawn Fain, rallying yesterday with Woodward MPC workers. “We will be holding a strike authorization vote. Woodward has a choice to make: This company can either negotiate a fair contract for the workers who make this place run. Or the workers will shut shit down, with the full backing of the UAW International Union.”
“We’ve got a company that has been given billions in taxpayer dollars through federal contracts and state subsidies, while the workers who pay the taxes can’t get a damn raise,” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell “Is that justice? Hell no. What we are asking for at Woodward is really simple. When you make billions off of your workers, pay them what they’re worth. Let them have basic time off. Make the progression fair, and get back to the negotiating table.”
“Woodward is offering our members a thirteen cent raise at a time when the company is making record profits,” said Jose Tapia, Woodward worker and President of UAW Local 5101. “That is what they offered, and then they refused to bargain. So, before this company decided to break the law and walk away from the table altogether, they told us what they think of us. Because they think they can offer us nothing. Break the law. And we’ll take it. We are here to show them exactly how wrong they are.”
“Woodward workers voted to affiliate with the UAW last fall. Since then, the company has [allegedly] committed more than three dozen unfair labor practices, including total refusal to negotiate with the union. Workers are fighting for industry-leading wages, fair progression, time off, and job security.
“Woodward has made over $1.7 billion in profits since 2020, and has paid its CEO more than $30 million in that timeframe, while more than 800 Local 5101 workers struggle to make ends meet,” the UAW said.
*AutoInformed on
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.