The UAW automobile union announced on Monday the expansion of the strike, which has affected the locations of the three major American manufacturers since mid-September, to a large Stellantis plant in Michigan (north).
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Another 6,800 employees will be asked to leave their jobs at what the union calls Stellantis’ “largest and most lucrative factory” in the United States.
This is the SHAP assembly plant in Sterling Heights. It produces one of the group’s best-selling vehicles, the Ram 1500 pickup.
This brings the total number of strikers in the three groups to over 40,000, out of the 146,000 registered with the UAW. This is the first time that the “Big Three” – the three historic American manufacturers – have been targeted at the same time.
Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), reported on Friday that there was “significant movement” in negotiations with Stellantis and General Motors to conclude new collective agreements.
“I’m pleased to report that we’ve seen serious moves in Stellantis and GM over the last 24 hours,” he said.
“Meanwhile, Ford (…) continues to claim that they cannot afford to give us what we ask,” he continued.
But on Monday morning, the union noted persistent “gaps” in Stellantis’ latest offering (Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Peugeot, etc.).
“Despite having the highest sales, the highest profits (in North America and worldwide), the largest operating margins and the most cash reserves, Stellantis still lags behind both Ford and General Motors in meeting the needs of UAW employees the union wrote in its statement.
The group presented the “worst offer,” particularly in terms of salary increases, compensation for temporary workers and even cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) measures.
The list of mobilized sites may or may not have grown as discussions progressed, impacting secondary factories, but the UAW had already dealt a major blow on October 11 by shutting down the Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP), Ford’s largest plant , has closed. It generates $25 billion in sales per year.