“Not Like It Used To Be”: Daimler Truck Workers Gear Up For Historic Contract Fight

The nearly 7,000 UAW members who build Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Thomas Built Buses for Daimler Truck North America are gearing up for a historic contract fight. The current contract expires at 12:01 am on Friday, April 26, and covers thousands of workers at six facilities in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

In a new video, “Not Like It Used to Be,” workers speak out on the declining standards at Daimler Truck, and their fight for fair pay, cost of living adjustments (COLA), job security, and more.

The video announcing the campaign can be accessed here and the media is invited to use the footage.

“When I first started here, I only needed to work one job. Now you need to work two jobs in order to make ends meet,” said Clavonne Davis, a worker at the Daimler plant in Cleveland, NC. “It is our time to fight. It is our time to stand up and fight for what we deserve.”

“We signed this contract six years ago,” said Freightliner worker Derek Smith. “In the last six years, things have changed in our economy. Inflation has gone through the roof. Groceries are more expensive. Eating out is a luxury.”

“We insist on living wages for everyone. We insist on affordable and accessible health care benefits,” said Thomas Built Buses worker, Jennifer Moore.

Daimler workers are the latest UAW members standing up to win their fair share of the massive profits they produce. Last year, thousands of UAW autoworkers walked out on strike for six weeks and won record contracts at the Big Three automakers. Earlier this year, workers at Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN, won a historic contract agreement by posing a credible strike threat.