New union strike in the car strike in the United States. The workers of the largest Stellantis factory in the country have joined the call and this Monday unexpectedly shut down the assembly plant in Sterling Heights that produces the RAM 1500 truck, a very profitable bestseller for the company. With the 6,800 employees who joined today, there are already more than 40,000 workers in the first automobile strike in the United States, simultaneously affecting the Detroit auto industry’s Big Three: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (which acquired Chrysler).
The move comes just days after UAW union President Shawn Fain detailed the automakers’ current proposals and highlighted the flaws he saw in Stellantis’ latest offering. Fain has used a carrot and stick strategy in the strike based on developments in the negotiations.
“Despite having the highest revenues, the highest profits (in North America and worldwide), the highest profit margins and the largest cash reserves, Stellantis trails Ford and General Motors in lawsuits,” their UAW workers said. “Stellantis currently has the worst proposal on the table in terms of salary trends, temporary worker compensation and conversion to full-time, cost of living adjustments (COLA), etc.,” the union said in a statement.
American law does not allow strikes to be called, so unions strike companies whenever they want. Initially, the action was announced at least a few hours in advance, but two weeks ago a phase of surprise strikes began, which are announced as soon as they have already begun. Additionally, since announcements were regularly made on Fridays, the union believes companies have begun slowing negotiations until closer to each deadline.
The first surprise strike was launched on October 11 against Ford’s iconic and highly profitable truck plant in Kentucky, when approximately 8,700 UAW members walked off the job at 6:30 p.m. and closed the Louisville, Kentucky, plant. The game is now repeated with the Stellantis plant.
The auto strike began Sept. 15 with the closure of one factory at each company, which collectively employed about 14,000 of the three groups’ nearly 150,000 UAW unionized workers. It was the General Motors plant in Wentzville, Missouri, which makes the GMC Canyon and the Colorado; another from Ford in Wayne, Michigan, where the Bronco model and the Ranger truck are assembled, and a third from Jeep, from Stellantis, in Toledo, Ohio, where the Gladiator and Wrangler models come from.
The following week, union leader Shawn Fain rallied nearly 6,000 more workers from 28 Stellantis and GM distribution centers in 20 states, saving Ford from condemnation for showing greater willingness to negotiate. However, on Friday, September 29, the union leader called for 7,000 additional UAW workers to strike at two plants: the Ford plant in Chicago, Illinois, which makes the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator models, and the Lansing Delta plant from GM in Lansing, Michigan, which assembles the Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse, ignoring Stellantis this time. With the surprise strikes at Ford’s most profitable plant and now Stellantis’ largest plant, it indirectly appears to be GM that appears to have been spared from this latest round for now.
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