The United Auto Workers union (UAW) threatened to strike against auto giant Stellantis on Tuesday night over alleged failure to meet certain contract requirements to open the plant.
UAW President Shawn Fain Shown The livestream also reported that several local union chapters have begun strike authorization votes to enforce contract agreements with Stellantis amid delays in reopening its Belvidere, Illinois, manufacturing facility. The unions claim that as part of a contract reached last year, Stellantis had promised to reopen the facility immediately. Stellantis and the UAW reached an agreement in October 2023 after a six-week strike that also targeted Ford and General Motors and brought the industry to a near halt. (RELATED: 'It's no big deal': Rank-and-file auto workers oppose UAW Biden endorsement, insist 'we can think for ourselves')
“Seventeen Stellantis UAW chapters, representing tens of thousands of members, have filed grievances against the company to enforce the 2023 agreement,” Fain said. said “As of today, two of the complaints have progressed to Phase 3 and the other eight have progressed to Phase 2. We are ready to implement this agreement,” the statement said. And the company knows it.”
The union argues that the 2023 contract requires the shuttered Belvidere plant to be repurposed and reopened to make medium-duty trucks and produce vehicle parts. According to To the Wall Street Journal.
“The commitments we made in the 2023 negotiations span the four-year, seven-and-a-half-month contract life, so it's not surprising they weren't fully realized in the first year,” Stellantis spokeswoman Jody Tinson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “And to be clear, Sean Fain's assertion that the company confirmed plans for the Dodge Durango is completely unfounded. The company has not admitted to such. However, Sean Fain continues to claim that the company breached the contract, but has thus far not provided any data or information to support his claims. Instead, he continues to purposely damage the company's reputation by publicly attacking it, which doesn't help anyone, including his own members.”
CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE – MARCH 20: A United Auto Workers (UAW) lawn sign stands near the Volkswagen auto assembly plant on March 20, 2024 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Another statement On Monday, the UAW accused Stellantis of not living up to commitments made in the 2023 contract, including allegations that the company is backtracking on previous investment pledges. The statement also outlined concerns that Stellantis is violating the contract by seeking to move some Dodge Durango production outside the United States.
Fain claimed the company's management and CEO were “out of control” and that Stellantis was guilty of “eliminating tens of thousands of jobs” and “torn families apart” by closing and selling manufacturing facilities.
“Working class people's share, quality of life and even life expectancy are declining,” Fain said in a livestream on Tuesday, “while billionaires and corporate executives are getting richer and more powerful.”
The UAW did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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