UAW president Shawn Fain said he’s going south to speak directly to non-union workers at a Volkswagen plant and took angry issue with Stellantis for laying off hundreds of temporary workers in a live webcast Tuesday evening on Facebook and YouTube.
Following the UAW 45- day rolling strikes against the Detroit Three automakers this past fall Fain said the union’s next target would be to organize workers at U.S. plants owned by foreign automakers. Doing so has been a long-term goal of the UAW—one which at which the union has never succeeded .
But the UAW winning major concessions including pay raises and the end of the two-tier wage system from General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis sparked new interest in the union from workers at the so-called transplants.
This coming weekend Fain, joined by UAW vice president Chuck Browning and members from two Ford plants in Louisville, Ky. Will conduct what Fain described as “mass meetings” with workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.
“They’ll lay out simply what Volkswagen doesn’t want workers to know,” Fain said. “From Germany to South Africa to Brazil, Volkswagen workers have a union but in Tennessee, they’re told we can’t afford that here. They’re told, hey, instead of a union contract, how about a Volkswagen hat and a cookie?”
Since last month more than 2,000 VW workers at the Chattanooga plant have signed union cards, indicating their support for joining the UAW according to Fain.
The UAW appeared to be making some progress at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Ala, where Fain said 1,500 signed union cards.
Last month the union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of workers at auto plants operated by Honda in Indiana, Hyundai in Alabama, and Volkswagen in Tennessee alleging the automakers were attempting to thwart union-related activities with such actions that include confiscating pro-union hand-outs, threatening disciplinary write-ups for displaying pro-union stickers on their helmets and destroying pro-union leaflets.
At the time spokesmen for Honda and Hyundai issued statements denying their companies had taken such actions.
Meanwhile, a labor issue involving one of the Detroit Three automakers stirred Fain’s anger as he called out Stellantis for laying off hundreds of temporary workers, saying “Stellantis can afford to do the right thing here and provide a pathway to full time good auto jobs. But again, they’re choosing to line executive and shareholder pockets.”
In an emailed statement Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson confirmed the company laid off 539 supplemental employees “across many of our U.S. manufacturing facilities that their services would no longer be needed.”
She responded to Fain’s accusations writing “As part of our normal course of business, Stellantis regularly analyzes staffing levels at our manufacturing facilities to ensure they are operating as efficiently as possible. Following an operational review, the Company is reducing the number of Supplemental Employees across much of our U.S. footprint, effective immediately. This action will help improve the efficiency, productivity and market competitiveness of our facilities as we implement our Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.”
On Tuesday Stellantis announced president of Stellantis Mexico Carlos Zarlenga will replace chief operating officer Mark Stewart on Feb. 1.
As he closed his 31-minute webcast Fain paid tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the day following the national holiday celebrating the late civil rights leader’s birthday.
“On a personal level, there’s no public figure that I’ve ever taken more inspiration from Dr. King. You know, the fact is Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the greatest labor leaders in our country’s history.”
