Thousands of auto workers are taking a stand in Alabama, and the business class is feeling fear, too.

At the end of October, the United Auto Workers (UAW), under new leadership from a reformist group that had won an overwhelming victory in executive elections less than a year ago, ended its stand-up strike. record the contract The event is aimed at 150,000 autoworkers across the country, and aims to reacquaint workers with the responsibility of owning and shaping their own futures.

The contract included a 33 percent salary increase over four-and-a-half years, based on estimated cost of living adjustments (COLA). Even a year ago, getting COLA back was said to be impossible. It also increased pay for retirees, abolished the class system, and secured permanent employment for thousands of former temporary workers. For many, this deal will result in a life-changing 160% raise by the end of the contract in 2028. But perhaps most importantly, and most historically, they forced Stellantis to: resume We plan to further invest in our Belvidere assembly plant and build a new plant in the same area. This is something that has never been done before, reopening a factory that has been shut down indefinitely and at the request of its workers.

With the ink barely dry on the contract, the new UAW soon embarked on another historic battle: against the unorganized United Auto Workers. Within days, thousands of workers began heeding the call, including right here in Alabama. January 10th, Mercedes employees in Tuscaloosa announced They reported that signed cards reached 30 percent.Workers are now saying: approaching 50 percent. Feb. 1, Hyundai employee in Montgomery announced They too had reached the 30 percent threshold.Nationwide, he said 10,000 nonunion autoworkers signed union card.Employees of both stores quote Reasons for interest in unionizing include deteriorating working conditions, inconsistent management policies, and contracts at the Big Three. The testimonies of these workers are supported by the following data: new report A study of Alabama's auto industry found that not only are workers here paid far less than similar workers across the country (which is widely known and actually boasted about by so-called leaders in the state Legislature) ) show that their wages are 11 percent lower than those of Alabama autoworkers 20 years ago.

But the numbers don't yet begin to accurately represent the conditions awaiting new employees in Alabama's auto industry, as all major auto companies have implemented tiered compensation systems. This means new workers can expect to earn up to 50% less than other workers doing the same job at the same facility.

In addition to pay, the report found alarming safety issues. For example, in 2015, autoworkers in Alabama were twice as likely to suffer an amputation compared to autoworkers nationwide. Speaking of amputations, the Hyundai-owned subsidiary in Montgomery fined More than $48,000 has been paid by OSHA for cut and crush hazards since 2013, most recently in 2022. Another parts manufacturer in Hyundai's supply chain is distribute More than $1 million in damages was awarded in the death of a 20-year-old worker who pleaded guilty in 2016 to willfully violating OSHA standards.At the same time, it was later revealed that Hyundai and its subsidiaries was employed Dozens of children are using it illegally prison labor.

Despite all the deteriorating conditions for Alabama autoworkers, up to and including threats to their lives, supposedly elected autoworker leaders say they are willing to pay more for the labor their workers spend. It attacks those who dare to stand up and demand a say on the terms. A large part of their waking lives.

Among other slurs, politicians claim the UAW is an out-of-state interest group. In reality, the Mercedes workers had an organizing committee before the UAW approached them and began organizing with the UAW only after the UAW met their demands. They say that's the main reason the initiative has been so successful. worker-led. If the UAW had refused, workers say they would have formed an independent union. And if Kay Ivey thinks that if Alabamians organize with other American workers, we will become an “out-of-state” special interest group, then what about the state of residence of Hyundai, Toyota, and Mercedes? Please wait until you hear it. One thing's for sure: They're a lot further away than Michigan.

Not far behind, and in close coordination with state governments, the business class has launched its own offensive, writing op-eds with the same tired talking points every time some half-baked union-busting consultant trots out. , are building a website.

It is said that as wages rise, relationships may become strained. Workers argue that higher profits and lower wages will further strain relations. They're afraid of cheating on their dues, but for me and every other union member I know, our union dues are the best investment we've ever made. Many members have 100% health insurance provided by their employers. You can do much worse for just a few dollars a month.

They try to scare workers by claiming that union contracts make it difficult to reward productive workers, but what they can do is standardize compensation and compensation systems, These things only make them less susceptible to favoritism and management manipulation. That's actually why they hate it). Moreover, the union contracts that will be implemented will be negotiated and ratified by the very workers who are fearful of them. For myself and my colleagues, if we don't want a clause in our contract, we don't negotiate that clause in the first place. Second, vote it down if it's in the final product. Today's Alabama autoworkers have no such democratic power over their working conditions.

The most powerful topic they have is the specter of Detroit. They try to blame unions for what happened to the American auto industry, specifically that unions demanded wages too high to be competitive, resulting in its bankruptcy. It is difficult to reconcile this story with reality. The UAW has accepted concessionary contracts in every contract cycle since the 1970s, and continued to accept stagnant wages, pension plans, and class deterioration until 2008, when it granted the largest concession ever saved. companies. Workers accepted billions of dollars in cuts, but are finally starting to recover, and executives are making more money today than they were before 2008.

Indeed, the UAW itself has shown in this very contract cycle that the easy path of showering companies with public funds, low wages, and dangerous working conditions is not the only way to encourage investment. Rather, workers themselves take the reins when necessary, as they did when Stellantis promised to reopen its dormant Belvidere factory and pay laid-off workers 75 percent of their wages during that time. be able to.

The reality is clear. The American auto industry was killed by globalization brought about by Democrats and Republicans, poor management decisions, the financialization of the American economy, including the auto industry, and corporate greed.

With facts on their side, corporate exploitation to stoke outrage, and the support of a new UAW that has cleaned house, Alabama's autoworkers should feel confident in their decision to stand up, and the rest of Alabama's workforce. The same should be true of the civil class. Please support them.

Ironically, the business class is right about the central theme of the struggle: power and control. Foreign auto special interests continue to have unquestioned and powerful power over the Alabamians who work for them, subjecting them to ever-worsening conditions without their input, consultation, or consent. Will they continue to comply with the state government's orders all the while? Will they get billions from the rest of us? Or will working Alabamians stand up and demand a seat at the table, a say on the job, and more of the record profits they generate?

These questions can only be answered by Alabama autoworkers themselves. The question for the rest of us is: Which side are you on?