UAW strike update

We have already published a full assessment of the issues involved in the autoworkers’ strike. The purpose of this short piece is to look at developments in the strike since that article was written. The situation is moving rapidly, and the Labor Notes website is probably the best place to get the most up-to-date news.

Major escalation

The United Auto Workers union has been using a distinct strategy, the “Stand Up” or escalating strike. This is where only selected work places are struck at first, not the entire industry. Therefore, when the old contract expired, only three factories were struck. They were carefully chosen to represent particularly popular vehicle models. So there were strikes at the Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan, which makes the Bronco, the Stellantis Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, which makes the Wrangler, and the GM plant in Wentzville, Missouri where the Chevy Colorado is manufactured.

On Friday, September 24, UAW President Shawn Fain announced a major escalation. Thirty nine Stellantis and GM parts distribution centers were struck. This brought out another 5,000 workers, bringing the total number of workers on strike to about 18,000. The parts distribution centers play an important role in the auto industry’s internal functioning. When a customer brings a car in for repair, the dealer or garage will reach out to the distribution center for the relevant parts. They are generally not stored on site. A strike of a parts distribution center will therefore have an immediate impact on car repairs.

So there are now strikes at forty one facilities with the number of strikers representing about 10% of the UAW automobile industry membership. If a deal is not reached, further escalation will take place.

Ford

Ford was not included in the September 24 escalation because Fain reported major progress in the talks with Ford. He cited improved profit sharing provisions, the “conversion” of temporary workers to full time status after ninety days, and the elimination of two tier at two factories. Two other tentative agreements are quite significant. The first is the reinstatement of Cost of Living Agreement (COLA) raises. The second is the right to strike against plant closures. Fain argued that these agreements, while not closing the deal with Ford, represented enough movement so as to not require more strikes at Ford plants at this time.

Furthermore, the Canadian auto workers’ union Unifor has just settled with Canadian Ford. These events suggest a possible future course for the strike. The UAW may push for an early settlement with Ford. Once this is achieved, the union could put intense pressure on Stellantis and GM to settle on similar terms. Stellantis and GM would then be placed in the position of having to explain why they would not agree to the terms Ford had already agreed to. This would be an approach similar to the UAW’s traditional pattern bargaining strategy.

Strike It Out!

The strikers’ mood is upbeat. A September 23 rally organized by UAW Local 551 at the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant is a good example of this. Workers, in their bright red UAW T-shirts, took part in a call and refrain chant. The organizer would call out the name of a section of the plant: trim, paint, etc. The workers would then respond, “Strike It Out!” It was clear at the rally careful preparations had been made if the plant was chosen to strike in the escalating strike program.

Representatives of other unions were warmly welcomed.

There is an unusually large amount of media coverage of the strike. The determination and focus of the strikers comes out clearly in the interviews. Again wearing their union shirts, strikers articulately put forward the main themes of the strike: workers have made many concessions in the past, and now is the time to right that wrong; the auto companies are making huge profits, and workers have a right to a decent raise—and that the time has come to put an end to the impossible work schedules so common in the auto industry.

Our task? Support the strike!

I was discussing the outline of this article with another comrade. I asked her what she thought I should put in as the distinctly socialist approach to the strike? She replied clearly. It was a no-brainer. “Support the strike!” She was absolutely right. This strike is seen by the whole country as a major confrontation between capital and labor. A victory by the UAW would be a significant victory for the whole working class movement. The union has called for all of its supporters, not just auto workers, to join them on the picket lines. There is a map of strike locations here.

It’s solidarity time.