UAW Big Three Strike Continues

Click for more Greed.

As the UAW Big Three Strike continues tonight, the union released late this afternoon a new video called “Corporate Greed,” explaining what’s driving the ongoing strike at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. It has footage from the union’s rally  in downtown Detroit on Friday, when thousands of UAW members and supporters gathered on the first day of their historic work action, which is called the “Stand Up Strike.” The video is here. A recent Gallup poll said that 75% of Americans back UAW members in their negotiations with the Big Three. Just 19% side with the companies.(AutoInformed: UAW on Strike at Select Ford, GM, Stellantis Plants; Unifor say Likelihood of Ford Strike at Midnight Increases)

“They pretend that the sky will fall if we get our fair share of the quarter of a trillion dollars the Big Three has made over the past decade,” UAW President Shawn Fain says in the video. “They want to say that our righteous fight for a higher quality of life for the working class would wreck the economy. We’re not going to wreck the economy; we’re going to wreck their economy because it only works for the billionaire class.” Fain is the first president in UAW history directly elected by members.

Following are UAW statistics that assert how members were left behind as the Big Three directed their profits to CEOs and wealthy investors. During the last four years:

• Big Three profits have increased 65%.
• CEO pay at the companies has gone up 40%.
• Big Three spending on stock buybacks is up 1500%.
• Average new car prices are up 34%.
• Inflation is up 20%.
• Autoworker wages are up just 6%.

Once again the UAW noted that Ford, General Motors and Stellantis all took more than a month to respond to the UAW’s Members’ Demands and in its view failed to put fair contract offers on the table. When the car companies’ contracts expired on Sept. 14, the UAW launched a “Stand Up Strike” and for the first time ever struck all of the Big Three at once.

The Stand Up Strike is a new sophisticated approach. Instead of striking all plants all at once, select locals have been called on to “Stand Up” and walk out on strike. If the automakers fail to offer fair contracts going forward, more locals will be called on to Stand Up and join the strike.

The first three plants to go out on strike are: GM Wentzville Assembly, Local 2250 in Region 4; Stellantis Toledo Assembly Complex, Local 12 in Region 2B; and Ford Michigan Assembly Plant – Final Assembly and Paint only, Local 900 in Region 1A.