American Axle Workers in Three Rivers, Michigan Vote Overwhelmingly to Authorize Strike

The membership of UAW Local 2093 has voted by 98% to authorize a strike at American Axle (aka Dauch Corporation) should the company refuse to offer a fair contract. The current contract expires on May 31st.

“The membership of UAW Local 2093 and Region 1D have sent a crystal clear message to American Axle: we need a fair contract now, or we’re ready to take the next step,” said UAW Region 1D Director Steve Dawes. “We’ve waited long enough for this company to do the right thing, and we’re ready to do what it takes to win a fair deal at American Axle.”

“American Axle is a mainstay in this community, and we’re fighting to make it better by making our lives better,” said Jay Korf, a UAW Local 2093 member at American Axle. “We’re not asking to break the bank; we’re demanding our fair share after all our sacrifices and years spent building this company back up.”

In 2008, workers at American Axle took major sacrifices to save the facility from closure during the Great Recession. Many long-time workers who were making as much as $29 an hour in 2008 saw their wages slashed to $14.50. Today, eighteen years later, workers are still yet to make up all that lost ground, with wages at American Axle currently topping out at $22 an hour after a five-year progression, with inflation-adjusted wages cut in half from their pre-2008 levels.

Meanwhile, in the last decade, as a Tier 1 parts supplier to General Motors, American Axle has generated $8.4 billion in profits. Over that time, the company’s CEO has been paid $111 million, with the top five executives receiving nearly $231 million in compensation – while UAW members working at the Three Rivers plant struggle to afford basic needs, with some even forced to sleep in their cars.