UAW threatens strikes at Stellantis, Ford

The UAW said union President Shawn Fain would announce the latest development regarding a potential work stoppage at Stellantis at 7 pm ET on Thursday on Facebook Live.

“We are preparing to take action at Stellantis to enforce our contract … up to and including national strike action if necessary,” Fain said in a video post.

Note, however, that the UAW would first have to hold strike authorization votes before any strike could happen. And the votes would have to be held at individual locations because they concern local grievances.

Stellantis is based in Auburn Hills, Mich., a Detroit suburb. It makes popular vehicles like Jeep. The union accuses the automaker of violating terms of a 2023 labor contract.

The USW claims Stellantis broke the terms of the agreement by moving production of the Dodge Durango SUV from Detroit to Canada. It also said Stellantis had failed to keep a promise to restart an assembly plant in Belvidere, Ill., that was idled in February 2023.

Stellantis fires back

Stellantis forcefully denied those allegations.

The automaker said it had not scrapped plans to restart Belvidere. It indicated that it had instead delayed them because of lackluster demand.

“It is critical that the business case for all investments is aligned with market conditions,” the company said in a statement.

Stellantis also said Fain’s claims that it had confirmed plans to move Durango production to Canada was “simply not true.”

“He continues to willfully damage the reputation of the company with public attacks,” the company said. “A strike does not benefit anyone,” it added.

Ford

Meanwhile, Fain authorized a strike at Ford’s Dearborn, Mich., truck plant starting on Thursday, Sept. 26, according to a press release from the union.

The UAW said the potential strike at Ford was related to issues between the automaker and UAW Local 600. That local represents workers at a tool and die unit at the Dearborn truck plant.

Sticking points were around job security, wage parity for skilled trades, and work rules, the UAW said.

Ford confirmed that talks were ongoing. “Negotiations continue, and we look forward to reaching an agreement with UAW Local 600 at Dearborn Tool & Die,” a Ford spokesperson said in an email to SMU.

Ford is also based in Dearborn. And the assembly plant there is one of its largest.

Approximately 500 workers are employed at the tool and die unit. All told, the Dearborn truck plant employs nearly 3,800 people, according to Ford’s website.

The facility makes the F-150 pickup truck, one of the best-selling vehicles in the US. The F-150 shifted to an aluminum body in 2015. Its frame continues to be made from steel.

At Ford, the threatened strike at first glance only concerns the tool and die unit. But the labor contract negotiated by the UAW last fall contains language about honoring pickets. That means, in theory, that UAW members across the entire Dearborn plant could strike in support of the tool and die unit.

Background

The threatened work stoppages now come a year after the UAW launched a strike against all “big three” US automakers – including Detroit-based General Motors. That strike resulted in historic gains in wages and benefits for auto workers.