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“INVEST IN US”: UAW Slams Stellantis for Preparing Massive Pay Day for Wall Street While Thousands of Workers are Laid Off in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Beyond

In a shocking move, Stellantis is preparing to spend billions of dollars on stock buybacks and dividends while autoworkers who build profitable vehicles are laid off and auto plants are underutilized across America.

At the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Amsterdam, the Stellantis Board of Directors has approved a $2.6 billion dollar dividend, while they consider an additional stock buyback of up to 10 % of the company’s stock, or $2.6 billion.

The UAW is calling on all allies of the working class to sign on to a petition demanding Stellantis invest in its workers, not just Wall Street.

“Two weeks ago, Stellantis said the sky was falling because of auto tariffs, and said they had to lay off workers, claiming they are losing money. But then all of a sudden, a miracle happened: they found billions of dollars, nearly half of last year’s profits, to pay to Wall Street!” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “This is everything that has been wrong with corporate America for decades. Instead of investing in the autoworkers and facilities that make this company run, Stellantis is putting Wall Street over Main Street. Stellantis could create thousands of good paying jobs in America in very short order by utilizing excess capacity in places like Toledo South Assembly in Ohio, Belvidere Assembly in Illinois, Mack, Warren, Trenton Engine in Michigan, and plants in Kokomo, Indiana. It’s time for Stellantis to stop looting the Rust Belt for short-sighted Wall Street jackpots. INVEST IN US!”

With $5 billion, Stellantis could reopen multiple plants, lower the price of vehicles, and regain their market share in the US auto market. Instead, the company is choosing to spend that money on Wall Street.

Some shareholders are pushing back as well on Stellantis’ $25 million payout for disgraced CEO Carlos Tavares. As part of the UAW’s Keep the Promise campaign, Tavares was ousted following his gross mismanagement of the company.

It’s time for Stellantis to get back on track building great vehicles in the US, using their unused capacity, and do right by the taxpayers, consumers, and autoworkers.

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One Year Later: VW Workers Celebrate Historic Breakthrough and Look Ahead to Locked-In Gains in First Union Contract

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. — One year after making history as the first Southern autoworkers outside the Big Three to unionize, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga are preparing to secure a landmark first contract—one that guarantees, in writing, the better wages, benefits, and workplace protections they fought to win.

No longer at the mercy of Volkswagen’s shifting promises, workers are demanding a legally binding agreement that puts their priorities—fair pay, affordable health care, paid time off, safer working conditions, and protections against favoritism—into writing. Since their union victory in April 2024, they have elected a 20-person bargaining committee, which has been negotiating contract language that reflects the demands of the 4,000-member workforce.

For workers like Steve Cochran, a worker in the skills trades, the union is about securing a better future. The co-chair of the Bargaining Committee says a strong contract ensures that promises are delivered—and that respect and security are no longer up for negotiation.

Members are fighting for a contract that meets the standard already established across the U.S. unionized auto industry—and that matches Volkswagen’s record-breaking profits.

Just days after Volkswagen, the world’s second-largest automaker, reported $20.6 billion in profits for 2024, a new UAW survey of nearly 1,800 Chattanooga workers reveals the crushing financial impact of the company’s substandard U.S. health care. The results show a workforce plagued by high out-of-pocket costs and inadequate coverage—nearly 73% of respondents said they’ve either had to choose between medical care and essentials like rent or food, or gone into debt to afford care. That number climbs even higher among parents and caregivers with children on VW’s insurance plan, exposing the human cost of the company’s failure to meet industry standards.

Over the past four years, Volkswagen has funneled $29.9 billion to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks. In response, Chattanooga workers are demanding their fair share—through real improvements in wages, benefits, safety, job security, and rights on the job. But this fight goes beyond economics. They are pushing for stronger safety standards, fair scheduling, paid leave, protection from unfair discipline, and a true voice in the decisions that shape their daily lives. After more than a decade of operating without a union, workers say it’s time to end the era of exploitation that has defined the Chattanooga plant since it opened in 2011.

But as bargaining has progressed, Volkswagen has escalated its anti-union tactics and shown flagrant disregard for U.S. labor law. In March, the UAW filed federal labor charges against the company for unilaterally cutting jobs and making major changes without negotiating with the union, in violation of federal law. This attack on American jobs and workers’ rights underscores the company’s disrespect and preference for low-wage production abroad.

Today, Volkswagen manufactures 75% of its North American vehicles in Mexico, where workers earn roughly $7 an hour. This business model relies on exploitation, suppresses wages across borders, and undermines American manufacturing.

Just weeks after the illegal shift reduction announcement, VW management locked workers out of their own bargaining session, calling security and shutting the doors on union members who came to observe and share their experiences. In response, workers took to the streets, holding a rally to demand respect and a fair contract.

UAW President Shawn Fain praised the Chattanooga workers for igniting a movement to raise standards for the working class across the South.

“VW workers made history a year ago—and now they’re making it count,” said Fain. “They stood up, took on the boss, and won their union. They’re fighting for a contract that reflects the power they have built and locks in real raises, real rights, and real respect. This is what happens when working-class people stand up together.”

The Chattanooga workers’ fight is not just about one plant—it’s part of a growing working-class movement to take back power, hold global corporations accountable, and build a future where all autoworkers, no matter where they are, have a collective voice to shape their working conditions and demand a share in the prosperity they create.

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In Major Escalation, UAW Members at General Dynamics – Electric Boat Authorize Strike, Hold Massive Rally

GROTON, CT – At a high-energy rally yesterday, UAW President Shawn Fain and Local 571 President Bill Louis stood shoulder-to-shoulder with more than a thousand union members to announce a major escalation in the ongoing labor dispute at General Dynamics Electric Boat.

The marine drafters — the highly skilled workforce responsible for designing the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet — have voted to authorize a strike against their employer, marking a pivotal moment in the fight for a fair contract. The decision highlights growing frustration with the defense contractor, which has reported massive profits even as the workers behind a cornerstone of the nation’s nuclear deterrence fight for a contract that delivers on their core priorities — including fair pay, retirement security for all, and dignity on the job.

After announcing that the strike authorization vote was successful, Fain said, “These workers aren’t just drafting blueprints — they’re designing the backbone of our national defense. This isn’t just any job — it’s mission-critical work, funded by the American taxpayer. And yet, while General Dynamics pockets billions in government contracts, the very people doing this essential work are being left behind. That’s not just unfair — it’s outrageous. The company has a choice. They can get back to the table and get serious about our demands. Or they can keep messing around. The choice is theirs. And the clock is ticking.”

UAW members at Electric Boat are fighting to win cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) so their pay keeps up with inflation, affordable healthcare, and the restoration of pensions, which were taken from workers hired after 2010. Despite raking in over $13 billion in profits over the past three years, General Dynamics is pushing for 52% to 161% increases in weekly medical insurance costs. The company reaps the benefits of massive, years-long contracts to replenish the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet — a project that highlights the critical nature of the work done by Electric Boat employees.

JoAnna McClenathan, a UAW member and Councillor at MDA Local 571, ended her remarks by calling on her fellow coworkers to act in the coming weeks. “If we don’t fight now—if we don’t pressure the company for something better—this company will continue to cut until there is nothing left for us or the next generation of workers,” said McClenathan. “We need to stand together today so we don’t fall further behind tomorrow.”

Inferior compensation at Electric Boat is leading to worker shortages and production delays. In 2024, the Navy stated that Virginia-class submarines and Columbia-class subs are now years behind schedule because of “skilled labor shortages.”

The company has refused to bargain with good faith, hiring well-known anti-union firm Morgan Lewis. Their intimidation tactics have resulted in unfair labor practice (ULP) charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

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Billions in Profits, Cuts for Workers: UAW Workers at Electric Boat Turn Up the Heat in Fight for Fair Contract

GROTON, CT – More than 2,400 UAW Local 571 members at General Dynamics – Electric Boat are turning up the pressure in their fight for a fair contract — rallying to demand better wages, retirement security for all, and respect on the job.

Fresh off the expiration of their contract on April 4, these skilled workers — who design submarines for the U.S. military — are sending a clear message to the company: it’s time to deliver a contract that honors their critical work.

The rally marks an escalation in ongoing negotiations, as UAW members stand united around core priorities like improved pay, retirement security for all, and dignity at work.

General Dynamics, despite raking in over $13 billion in profits over the past three years, is pushing for 52% to 161% increases in weekly medical insurance costs. Meanwhile, the company reaps the benefits of a massive, years-long contract to replenish the U.S. Navy’s nuclear ballistic missile submarine fleet — a project that highlights the critical nature of the work done by Electric Boat employees.

Ahead of the action, the union released a new video outlining their key demands, which can be accessed here on YouTube (media is invited to use the footage).

WHAT: Rally with UAW Local 571 members at General Dynamics – Electric Boat

WHERE: 75 Eastern Pt Rd., Groton, CT 06340

WHEN: Thursday, April 10 at 2:00pm ET

Workers at General Dynamics – Electric Boat have faced eroded wages, reduced pensions, and a lack of cost-of-living adjustments to protect against inflation, which is typical in the defense sector. Additionally, General Dynamics has hired a well-known anti-union firm, employing intimidation tactics and engaging in bad faith bargaining. The company is currently facing numerous unfair labor practice (ULP) charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

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At 37 Actions Across the US, Tens of Thousands Rally to Stop Cuts to Federal Research, Health and Education

Detroit, MI — Thousands of people across the country came together yesterday for Kill the Cuts, a national Day of Action to raise awareness and fight back against the Trump administration’s devastating attacks on research, health, and higher education. The events (see the full list here) were sponsored by a coalition of education, labor and health advocates, including UAW, SEIU, AFSCME, UE, NEA, AFT, CWA, AAUP, HELU, Labor for Higher Education, the Debt Collective, and more.

Researchers and educators who have had their funding cut spoke about the effects this assault on publicly-funded research is having at their institutions and across the country. Below is a collection of remarks and associated photography:

 

“NIH is the bedrock of American health,” said Haley Chatelaine, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health and member of UAW 2750, which represents 5,000 workers there. “I’ve spoken with patients whose lives depended on the groundbreaking research we do. Any delay–whether it’s due to pauses in grant funding or firings of federal workers–puts Americans’ health at risk. That’s why we, the workers who do the research, are standing up to protect it.” (Photos here, credit UAW)

“By cutting funds to lifesaving research and medical care, the Trump administration is abandoning families who are suffering and costing taxpayers billions of dollars,” said Rafael Jaime, president of UAW 4811, which represents 48,000 workers at the University of California. “These cuts are dangerous to our health, and dangerous to our economy.” (Photos here, credit UAW)

“Federal research funding is critical to my research into how neurons in our brains communicate, making it possible to develop better therapeutics for severe health conditions that range from cancer to depression to learning disorders,” said Dagan Marx, a Postdoc at Weill Cornell Medicine and member of the Weill Cornell Medicine Postdocs United-UAW Bargaining Committee. “Recklessly slashing funding that institutions like Weill Cornell depend on for medical breakthroughs and supporting researchers has devastating impacts on our research and our working conditions.” (Photos here, credit New York City Central Labor Council)

“I’m proud to be researching ways to better detect ovarian cancer after losing my mom to the disease two years ago. There are still no routine screening tests for ovarian cancer, which would save lives. Without funding from the NIH, breakthroughs won’t happen and that’s a tremendous loss for research and the general public,” said Mari Hoffman, an Academic Student Employee in Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Washington and member of UAW 4121. (Photos here, credit UAW)

 

President Trump has recently issued Executive Orders attacking the NIH, NSF, while dismantling the Department of Education. These attacks jeopardize medical and scientific progress and threaten the jobs of researchers across the country studying critical topics including climate change, renewable energy, cancer, viral pandemics, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Not only do these attacks impede lifesaving care for millions of Americans, but delays in treatment are projected to cost the public billions of dollars.

More information about the National Day of Action and a list of rally locations can be found at www.killthecuts.org.

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UAW Statement on Job Cuts at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

The UAW adamantly opposes the Trump administration’s recent decision to terminate nearly 900 workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

For decades, NIOSH has conducted vital research and offered important recommendations to help prevent work-related injury and illness. The agency provides workers with guidance and support on numerous important issues, including chemical hazards, workplace violence, first responder and firefighter safety protocols, preventable workplace fatalities, and many more.

The NIOSH’s work is absolutely critical in advancing rules that protect workers on the job so that they can return home safely every day. The nearly 900 workers the Trump administration is attempting to terminate play an invaluable role in making that possible.

This attack on NIOSH workers will have far-reaching negative consequences for workers in this country and beyond, and we demand they be reinstated.

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Statement from UAW President Shawn Fain on Attacks on Federal Workers

Yesterday, President Trump signed an order that tramples on the union rights of more than a million federal workers, stripping them of their ability to negotiate over their working conditions. The 1 million members of the UAW stand with federal workers and their union, AFGE, against the attacks from the Trump administration.

When I was 12, the Reagan administration famously busted the air traffic controllers’ union, PATCO, firing over 11,000 striking controllers and blacklisting them from federal jobs. It wasn’t just about PATCO – it sent a message to employers everywhere that it was open season on the working class. The labor movement failed to act in that moment, and we have been paying the price ever since.

The actions the administration has taken today are many times worse than PATCO, affecting over 1 million federal employees across at least 18 agencies. These actions are not just an attack on unions—it’s an attack on free speech, on workers’ right to organize, on the very idea that people should have a say in their own jobs and futures. Our own members are affected by these actions, including hundreds of UAW members at National Institutes of Health.

We have learned from the past and won’t sit back quietly while unions are dismantled. The labor movement is not about party politics. We aren’t Democrats or Republicans. We’re trade unionists.  And when you come after workers, you’re going to find us standing shoulder to shoulder, ready to fight back.

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In a Victory for Autoworkers, Auto Tariffs Mark the Beginning of the End of NAFTA and the “Free Trade” Disaster

This afternoon, the Trump administration announced major tariffs on passenger cars and trucks entering the U.S. market, marking the beginning of the end of a thirty-plus year “free trade” disaster. This is a long-overdue shift away from a harmful economic framework that has devastated the working class and driven a race to the bottom across borders in the auto industry. It signals a return to policies that prioritize the workers who build this country—rather than the greed of ruthless corporations.

“We applaud the Trump administration for stepping up to end the free trade disaster that has devastated working class communities for decades. Ending the race to the bottom in the auto industry starts with fixing our broken trade deals, and the Trump administration has made history with today’s actions,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “But ending the race to the bottom also means securing union rights for autoworkers everywhere with a strong National Labor Relations Board, a decent retirement with Social Security benefits protected, healthcare for all workers including through Medicare and Medicaid, and dignity on and off the job. The UAW and the working class in general couldn’t care less about party politics; working people expect leaders to work together to deliver results. The UAW has been clear: we will work with any politician, regardless of party, who is willing to reverse decades of working-class people going backwards in the most profitable times in our nation’s history. These tariffs are a major step in the right direction for autoworkers and blue-collar communities across the country, and it is now on the automakers, from the Big Three to Volkswagen and beyond, to bring back good union jobs to the U.S.”

BRINGING BACK THOUSANDS OF GOOD, UNION AUTO JOBS

With these tariffs, thousands of good-paying blue collar auto jobs could be brought back to working-class communities across the United States within a matter of months, simply by adding additional shifts or lines in a number of underutilized auto plants. Right now, thousands of autoworkers are laid off at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis following recent decisions by auto executives to ship jobs to Mexico.

Across a dozen Big Three auto plants that have seen major declines, production has fallen by 2 million units per year in the past decade, while millions of vehicles sold here are made with low-wage, high-exploitation labor abroad. That means auto companies that have made record profits get to drive wages down further for both Mexican and U.S. workers while Wall Street and the corporate class get record payouts.

Those plants include Ford Flat Rock Assembly (Flat Rock, MI), Ford Louisville Assembly (Louisville, KY), Ford Ohio Assembly (Sheffield, OH), Ford Michigan Assembly (Wayne, MI), GM Fairfax (Kansas City, KS), GM Lansing Grand River (Lansing, MI), GM Factory Zero (Detroit & Hamtramck, MI), GM Spring Hill (Spring Hill, TN), Stellantis Warren Truck Assembly (Warren, MI), Stellantis Toledo Assembly (Toledo, OH), Stellantis Sterling Heights Assembly (Sterling Heights, MI), Stellantis Jefferson North Assembly (Detroit, MI). The same pattern can be seen in the heavy truck industry, whether at Freightliner in North Carolina, Navistar in Ohio, or dozens of other employers across the economy.

The economic benefits of filling these plants back up with product and good auto jobs would be enormous and have a cascading effect throughout communities from Michigan to Tennessee.

At Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the company recently violated labor law by unilaterally announcing the elimination of a shift during first contract negotiations. Volkswagen makes 75% of their North America product in Mexico for $7 an hour, and over 40% of their U.S. sales are produced by workers earning poverty wages in Mexico. That shift should be restored immediately as production shifts back to the US.

At Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Warren, Michigan, for example, over 1,000 autoworkers are laid off while the plant sits underutilized and $100,000 Stellantis trucks are built in Mexico for $3 an hour. These layoffs were announced less than six months ago and could be undone. Those jobs could be brought back to Michigan immediately with well-designed auto tariffs.

In addition to idle capacity at existing plants, there are plants that stand empty and with moderate retooling could easily employ tens of thousands of workers. Lordstown Assembly sits empty in Lordstown, Ohio, and employed nearly 10,000 autoworkers when NAFTA was passed. Belvidere Assembly is slated to reopen with around 1,500 jobs; as recently as 2019, the plant employed 5,000 autoworkers.

The Big Three have closed or spun off 65 facilities in the past 20 years. There is plenty of work to go around at profitable margins, and plenty of working-class people looking for good, union jobs. With a serious tariff regime, we can incentivize the Big Three and the rest of the auto industry to reinvest in the American autoworker, and America’s blue-collar communities.

WHAT THE WORKING CLASS NEEDS ON TRADE

Every time an autoworker dares to ask for fair pay, a decent retirement, healthcare, or work-life balance, the automakers threaten their job by exploiting a broken trade system that is set up to intimidate and threaten workers on both sides of the border.

The UAW has encouraged the Trump administration to take clear, aggressive action to bring back good, union auto jobs. We are heartened by the significant measures they have announced today, and we urge the administration to take similar action to protect and reshore the heavy truck sector. Beyond tariffs, a continued, dramatic shift in our country’s trade agreements and economic policies will be necessary to end the free trade disaster.

The next step is to immediately begin renegotiation of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which has only perpetuated NAFTA’s harmful effects by increasing the trade deficit with Mexico and allowing automakers to offshore U.S. jobs and drive a race to the bottom.

In a new trade deal, autoworkers have some simple demands:

  • A significant number of cars that are sold in the U.S. should be made in the U.S., with strong wages and good working conditions like those that generations of UAW autoworkers have fought and died for.
  • Companies must not be allowed to close factories and ship jobs to high-exploitation, low-wage countries, and to pad already-massive profits by driving a race to the bottom among autoworkers. This includes a North American minimum wage to significantly raise pay and benefits for Mexican autoworkers, along with stronger protections for labor rights and penalties for offshoring, so that workers are no longer forced to compete with one another over crumbs while the automakers walk away with a bigger and bigger slice of the pie.
  • Fix the auto parts supply chain, following the same principles: fair wages and benefits for all, and an increase in American-made parts for American-assembled and American-sold vehicles.

We can fix our broken trade deals to benefit workers. But we must be consistent, send clear signals to the auto industry, and make sure that working-class people – who have paid the price for so-called “free trade” for 30 years – don’t pay the price for this transition back to high-road manufacturing jobs.

As they shift their supply chains and investments to the US, auto companies that have enjoyed years of record profits should absorb the cost of these tariffs rather than passing them on to consumers, and the UAW would support legislative or regulatory action requiring them to do so. Workers must be held harmless during any disruption that accompanies the reshoring process, with financial support from the federal government if necessary.

And finally, the working class can’t wait. The auto companies have been given time to plan, and now it’s time to act.

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Volkswagen Chattanooga Workers Slammed with Crippling Health Care Costs—One in Three Struggles to Afford Auto Giant’s Subpar Insurance

Chattanooga, TN – Days after Volkswagen, the #2 automaker in the world, announced making $20.6 billion in profit in 2024, a new UAW survey of VW workers in Chattanooga reveals the devastating financial toll of VW’s substandard U.S. health care offerings.

A new comprehensive survey of nearly 1,800 Volkswagen’s Chattanooga workers paints a stark picture of a workforce burdened by inferior health care benefits and skyrocketing out-of-pocket expenses that not only lag industry standards, but have also contributed to widespread financial hardship, debt, and, in many cases, a decision to forgo necessary medical care altogether.

Nearly three out of four (73%) Volkswagen Chattanooga workers reported either being forced to choose between paying for medical care and other essential expenditures like rent and food or having borrowed money or declared bankruptcy to cover medical expenses; a rate that rises to four out of every five parents and caregivers with children on a VW health insurance plan.

The full report is available HERE. The 2025 health care survey of VW Chattanooga workers paints a dire picture of the real-world impact of the company’s substandard plans. Key findings include:

  • 67% reported being forced to choose between paying for medical care and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities, and food.
  • 58% admitted to borrowing money—via credit cards, loans, 401(k) withdrawals, or from family and friends—or filing for bankruptcy due to medical expenses.
  • 57% currently have outstanding medical debt, including accounts in collections and wage garnishments.
  • 18% of survey respondents rely on publicly-funded TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid program, to insure their children – allowing VW to shift their responsibility to employees on to TN taxpayers.
  • 29% have faced financial hardship specifically due to medical bills from a workplace injury.
  • 20% have been forced to take on a second job simply to pay for their medical bills.

In addition to completing the survey, hundreds of VW workers surveyed shared personal stories about being forced to skip urgently necessary medical care and the extreme financial strain they’ve experienced due to VW’s lower standards.

  • One VW worker in the Battery Department shared that: “My wife is disabled so I am the only one working. She goes to the doctor when she needs to, but I have dental work that I have needed for almost 2 years and have not done due to the expense.”
  • A VW assembly worker reported: “I have had to forgo medical care due to the costs even though I pay for insurance, and I pay over a hundred dollars a month for my prescription.”
  • Another VW assembly worker said: “I went to the ER due to an illness last year—I couldn’t breathe. Bill was way too expensive, and I received 3 to 4 total. It hurt my finances tremendously as I had to figure out how to pay for my other bills that have gone up due to inflation.”
  • “At my last job I had better health care where I only had to pay $25 to see my primary doctor versus now it costs me $75 a visit until I hit my deductible,” said another VW worker. “Then two years ago I had a health scare where I had to go see a hematologist and when I got the bill I had to pay $500 out of pocket because I did not meet my deductible yet – versus at my last job, when I had to see a specialist, it only cost me a dime, and I was working for a much smaller company than Volkswagen.”
  • One VW worker said, “I’ve worked other jobs to make sure I can get my medical bills paid, but not now. Now I barely get my deductible paid and I don’t get to use my insurance because it’s time to start a new year, so I’m paying the deductible every year for my doctors’ visits and paying my monthly insurance for insurance I don’t get to use because of the deductible I have to reach before my insurance will cover anything. I have to have something major come up and pay it off before my insurance starts to cover my bills. It’s ridiculous and not right. I’m used to just paying a co-pay and everything else is covered, but when I started at Volkswagen all that changed and I started paying a lot out of my pocket. Yea I make more money here, but when you add in what I pay in for medical, I make less than I did at my last jobs.”

“Volkswagen should be ashamed that the U.S. workers who have helped build their massive profits are being forced to choose between putting food on the table and having health insurance,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “VW is the #2 automaker in the world, but they aren’t meeting the union auto standards in America – even of smaller and less profitable employers in the same state.  Although VW espouses respect for worker rights, they have egregiously violated federal U.S. labor law with an illegal shift reduction attempt in Chattanooga, where they should be ramping production up, not cutting it down. The CEO of VW got $11 million last year, and their shareholders got billions; now, American workers are demanding the fair standards and excellent health coverage we deserve.”

Volkswagen’s U.S. workforce faces lower health care and workplace safety standards compared to the benefits provided to employees in other countries, effectively creating a second tier of workers in the American South. Survey data reveals that VW’s health plan is so costly and inadequate that more than one in ten workers opt out entirely, with some stating they simply cannot afford it. Many employees also noted that Volkswagen lags behind its competitors in providing quality health care, despite the company’s substantial profits.

“Volkswagen workers should not have to start a GoFundMe in order to pay their medical bills,” said Amanda Muellemann, an assembly worker who could not afford a necessary surgery and had to go to extreme lengths to pay for her care.

In 2024, Volkswagen reported $20.6 billion in profits, bringing their four-year profit total to $92.4 billion — a 38% increase. Despite this, the 4,000 workers who build its vehicles in Chattanooga are still waiting for a fair contract that brings them up to par with industry standards – and are using the fight for the first-ever union contract at a foreign car manufacturer in America as an opportunity to force VW to reinvest in their U.S. workforce.

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“INVEST IN US”: UAW Slams Stellantis for Preparing Massive Pay Day for Wall Street While Thousands of Workers are Laid Off in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Beyond

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