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UAW Members and Leaders to Rally in Belvidere, Illinois to Call on Stellantis to Keep the Promise

Belvidere, IL – On Thursday, August 22nd, UAW members and leaders, including UAW President Shawn Fain, Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell, and Local 1268 President Matt Frantzen, will rally in Belvidere, Illinois to call on Stellantis to keep the commitment the company made to reopen Belvidere Assembly and invest in thousands of jobs in that community. 

On Monday, UAW locals representing tens of thousands of Stellantis workers filed grievances with the company over their failure to Keep the Promise made in contract negotiations in 2023. Once the grievance procedure is exhausted under the national contract, the union may authorize a strike. 

“This isn’t just a local fight or just a union fight,” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell. “This is a fight for the dignity of work in America. Union or not, from Belvidere or not. If we don’t Stand Up now, when will we? If we don’t Stand Up to protect American jobs, what will we stand for?” 

“The victories we won last year in our Stand Up Strike at the Big Three weren’t suggestions, they were binding commitments in a union contract, and we as the UAW intend to enforce that contract to the fullest extent,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. 

“I find a pathetic irony in the fact that Stellantis is now, for the first time, citing ‘market conditions’ as their reason for attempting to break their promises to Belvidere and autoworkers across America. It’s always ‘market conditions’ when they have to stiff an autoworker or close a plant. It’s never ‘market conditions’ when they want to raise CEO pay by 56%. Carlos Tavares is telling the American autoworker, ‘Market conditions for thee, but not for me.’” 

“They say they want to ‘delay’ reopening Belvidere Assembly but they really want to kick the can past our contract expiration so they can suddenly cite ‘market conditions’ again and never open this plant, never repair the damage they’ve done to thousands of autoworkers and their families. And it’s not just Belvidere. If they go back on this, what else will they go back on? As the company attacks us with layoffs during the most profitable times, what jobs will those workers have left to transfer into? This company made a commitment, on a timeline, to invest in the American autoworker and invest in Belvidere, and that’s why we’re ready to take action to make sure Stellantis keeps the promise.” 

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep the Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise. 

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UAW Stellantis Locals Prepare Grievances Over Company’s Failure to Keep Product Commitments, Paving Way for Strike Action, if Necessary

Several UAW locals representing tens of thousands of workers under the national UAW Stellantis agreement are prepared to file grievances over the company’s failure to keep its investment commitments and honor the union contract, paving the way for a national strike at Stellantis, if necessary. 

For more information, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.

“This company made a commitment to autoworkers at Stellantis in our union contract, and we intend to enforce that contract to the full extent,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “On behalf of autoworkers everywhere, we’re standing up against a company that wants to go back on its commitments and drive a race to the bottom at the expense of the American worker.” 

In the 2023 UAW Stellantis agreement, the union won the right to strike over product and investment commitments, and a historic commitment to reopen Belvidere Assembly, which was indefinitely idled in early 2023. Since ratification, the company has gone back on its product commitments at Belvidere, and has been unreceptive in talks with the union to stay on track. 

Aside from the impact on Belvidere, this glaring violation of the contract imperils all of the other investment commitments the company has made, and also impacts Stellantis members nationally, as they will not have those jobs for transfer opportunities in the event of layoffs. 

Under the UAW Stellantis contract, once an issue has been taken through the grievance procedure, the union may authorize a strike over the grievance. UAW Stellantis members are prepared to take action if necessary. 

Some of the largest locals that may file these grievances include UAW Local 12 (Toledo Assembly, Toledo, OH); Local 140 (Warren Truck, Warren, MI); Local 1700 (Sterling Heights Assembly, Sterling Heights, MI); Local 7 (Detroit Assembly Complex – Jefferson, Detroit, MI); Local 51 (Detroit Assembly Complex – Mack, Detroit, MI); Local 685 (Kokomo Transmission, Kokomo, IN); and Local 1166 (Kokomo Casting, Kokomo, IN). Any local covered under the national UAW Stellantis agreement may file these grievances at any time. 

The language of the grievance filed is as follows:

“The Company has informed the Union that it will not launch the Belvidere Consolidated Mopar Mega Hub in 2024, it will not begin stamping operations for the Belvidere Mega Hub in 2025 and it will not begin production of a midsize truck in Belvidere in 2027.  The Company’s failure to plan for, fund and launch these programs constitute a violation of the U.S. Investment letter in the P&M and OC&E Collective Bargaining Agreements.  During 2023 National Negotiations the parties agreed to the investment plan for Belvidere to address job security concerns impacting bargaining unit members throughout the entire system.  The Company’s failure to honor its commitments in the U.S. Investment letter is a serious concern to all bargaining unit members. 

Demand:  The Union demands that the Company rescind its decision to push back the above-referenced launches and immediately plan for and fund the Belvidere investments in order to comply with the agreed upon timeline for launching the Belvidere Mega Hub (2024), the Belvidere Stamping operation (2025) and Belvidere midsize truck production (2027).” 

For more information, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.

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Over 1,000 UAW Members Go On Strike at Cornell University

ITHACA – After months of negotiations, over 1,000 UAW members have walked out on strike at Cornell University, as the university has failed to present a fair package and has not bargained in good faith, stalling and retaliating against protected union activity by the workers.

The membership, made up of maintenance and facilities workers, dining workers, gardeners, custodians, agriculture and horticulture workers and others, are facing declining real wages even as Cornell’s endowment has ballooned and tuition revenue has skyrocketed. Over the past four years, Cornell’s endowment has soared 39% to nearly $10 billion and tuition has increased 13% – all while workers’ buying power has fallen 5%. 

Many of the workers have had to move out of Ithaca to afford housing and must pay expensive parking fees to park on campus. The wage for most at the university is less than $22 per hour, far lower than what economists estimate it costs for a family to live in the region. The compensation for top administrators exceeded $12.4 million in 2022.

“Workers at Cornell are fed up with being exploited and used. The university would much rather hoard its wealth and power than pay its workers fairly,” said UAW Local 2300 President Christine Johnson. “Cornell could have settled this weeks ago. Instead, they’ve scoffed and laughed at us and broken federal law. We’re done playing around.”

UAW Local 2300 recently filed seven separate unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Cornell University, citing violations of workers’ rights and federal labor laws amid ongoing contract negotiations.

“The workers at Cornell are pushing back against the university’s arrogance and greed. With a $10 billion endowment, the administration can more than afford the members’ demands,” said UAW Region 9 Director Daniel Vicente. “Workers in Local 2300 are showing the university that they are willing to do what’s needed to win what they deserve.”

Cornell University workers are the latest UAW members standing up to billionaire class greed. Thousands of UAW members have won record contracts in the last year, including auto workers at Daimler Truck, the Big Three automakers, and Allison Transmission workers in Indianapolis, IN.

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“Something is Rotten at Stellantis”: In New Video, UAW Sounds the Alarm on Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares 

In a new video, the UAW is raising the alarm on mismanagement at Stellantis, where sales and profits are down, while CEO pay is skyrocketing.

Nine months into a new contract with the UAW, Stellantis has failed to uphold key parts of its agreement, and has instead focused on all the wrong things, hurting consumers, dealers, white collar employees, and autoworkers.

The problem isn’t the auto market. GM and Ford are doing fine, while Stellantis’ profits and sales have tanked. Meanwhile, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has given himself a 56 percent raise, making him the highest paid traditional OEM CEO in the world.

“If any autoworker did as piss-poor of a job as Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, they’d be fired,” says UAW President Shawn Fain. “The truth is, Stellantis doesn’t want to invest in America.” “Stellantis is in a race to the bottom, driving up prices while cutting staff so overseas executives like Carlos Tavares can have a bigger payday. America invested in Stellantis. Workers have invested in Stellantis. And consumers have invested in Stellantis.”

“It’s time to put an end to corporate greed at Stellantis. It’s time for Stellantis to invest in us. It’s time for a change, and that starts with the man at the top.”

The video is available here, and the media is invited to use the footage.

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Department of Energy Awards $2 Million to UAW-CMGE to Build High Road Training Pathways for America’s Climate Workforce

As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s continued commitment to its Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded UAW Region 6 and the UAW Center for Manufacturing a Green Economy (UAW-CMGE) $2 million to further develop the High Road Battery Training Program in partnership with the Sparkz corporation.

The UAW-CMGE is one of 21 new projects recently selected by the DOE to receive a total of $24 million in funding to expand clean energy and support sustainable manufacturing in the U.S.

The UAW-CMGE was created in 2023 to lead the union’s recruitment and training for careers in climate manufacturing, empowering a well-trained, mission-driven green workforce to meet the growing needs of manufacturing operations created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

“The UAW-CMGE is developing a groundbreaking training model for rapidly growing climate industries, starting with the critically important domestic battery industry,” Priyanka Mohanty, Executive Director of the UAW-CMGE, said about the $2 million investment. “Our model, which focuses on equitable recruitment, technical battery knowledge, and the build-out of innovative new green apprenticeship programs, represents the high-road pathway central to the climate transition. This model will empower and protect workers on the shop floor, ensure that their voices are amplified, and build a just transition towards new, diverse, climate industries. The DOE’s 2 million dollar investment in the UAW and our center highlights the importance of high-road training programs to decarbonization, and we look forward to showing that an investment in workers is an investment in the American climate economy.”

“The UAW has shown the central role of an empowered manufacturing workforce in American decarbonization,” said Mike Miller, Chairperson, UAW-CMGE and UAW Region 6 Director. “The 2023 UAW’s contract negotiations with the Big 3 automakers were a seismic event in the struggle for a just transition. The strike brought thousands of EV and battery jobs under union national agreements with strong job quality protections and billion-dollar investments in the retooling of previously closed facilities. It showed the country that manufacturing electric vehicles and batteries – critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building new climate industries – can and must be built with good union jobs. The UAW wants to bring the expertise in training, workforce development, and good job creation to new green and advanced manufacturing production because it understands the critical importance of a just transition to broader decarbonization efforts.”

In 2023 the UAW and Sparkz announced they had signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a national labor-management agreement and statement of neutrality at the manufacturer’s the manufacturer’s facilities.

Sparkz, founded in 2019, develops and produces zero-cobalt, American-made Lithium-ion batteries. Eliminating cobalt from the battery-making process reduces the cost of producing lithium batteries and also addresses environmental concerns.

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UAW Members at Cornell University Vote to Authorize Strike, If Necessary

ITHACA – In a historic turnout, workers at Cornell University voted by 94% to authorize a strike if necessary. The contract covers more than 1,200 custodians, groundskeepers, cooks, food service workers, greenhouse workers, gardeners, mechanics and others and expired on June 30. 

The membership, made up of maintenance and facilities workers, dining workers, gardeners, custodians, transportation workers and others, are facing declining real wages even as Cornell’s endowment has ballooned, and tuition revenue has skyrocketed. Over the past four years, Cornell’s endowment has soared 39% to nearly $10 billion and tuition has increased 13% – all while workers’ buying power has fallen 5%.  

Many of the workers have had to move out of Ithaca to afford housing and must pay expensive parking fees to park on campus. The wage for most at the university is less than $22 per hour, far lower than what economists estimate it costs for a family to live in the region. The compensation for top administrators exceeded $12.4 million in 2022. 

“We’re the heart, soul and backbone of Cornell. Students and faculty depend on us to make the campus run, but we haven’t seen pay raises that keep up. In fact, we’re falling behind,” said UAW Local 2300 President Christine Johnson. “We’re united and ready to join the stand up movement if we need to so we can get our fair share.” 

UAW Local 2300 recently filed seven separate unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Cornell University, citing violations of workers’ rights and federal labor laws amid ongoing contract negotiations. 

Cornell University workers are the latest UAW members standing up to corporate greed. Thousands of UAW members have won record contracts in the last year, including auto workers at Daimler Truck, the Big Three automakers, and Allison Transmission workers in Indianapolis, IN. 

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UAW Launches Major Digital and Field Campaign to Defeat Donald Trump in November

The UAW is launching its most ambitious political program in decades for an all-out effort to elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States. The Union’s program will include mobilizing UAW members online, at worksites, and in the field with a door-to-door program to reach members, retirees, and their families around a pro-worker, anti-Corporate Greed agenda.  

On Wednesday, August 14, members will join a mass mobilization call to hear what’s at stake in this election, our union’s top issues, and how we’re building a movement to win against the billionaire class in November and beyond. 

At UAWStandUp2024.org, UAW members will find resources, videos, flyers, and links to factual information around the candidates’ records, and why the UAW is ready to stand up, speak up, and show up in November. 

The Union’s one million active and retired members will form a core base of support for the Harris-Walz campaign and will provide a major piece of the campaign’s margin of victory in Michigan, and in key Congressional races in battleground states like Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. In 2020, the UAW’s membership accounted for 9.2% of Biden-Harris’ votes in Michigan alone. 

The UAW’s plan to win stems from the vision that launched 2023’s Stand Up strike and movement. By putting out the facts, uniting the working class, and letting members lead the way, the UAW’s “Stand Up, Speak Up, Show Up” campaign will mobilize a mass campaign to defeat the billionaire class at the ballot box.  

The campaign launch comes on the heels of two major Harris-Walz campaign events with the UAW in Michigan, following the union’s endorsement of Harris for President. 

For more information, visit UAWStandUp2024.org.

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UAW Files Federal Labor Charges Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk for Attempting to Intimidate and Threaten Workers

The UAW has filed federal labor charges against disgraced billionaires Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their illegal attempts to threaten and intimidate workers who stand up for themselves by engaging in protected concerted activity, such as strikes. 

After significant technical delays on X, formerly known as Twitter, Trump and Musk had a rambling, disorganized conversation on Monday evening in front of over one million listeners in which they advocated for the illegal firing of striking workers. 

“I mean, I look at what you do,” Trump told Musk. “You walk in, you say, You want to quit? They go on strike, I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike and you say, That’s OK, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. So, every one of you is gone.” 

Under federal law, workers cannot be fired for going on strike, and threatening to do so is illegal under the National Labor Relations Act. 

“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Donald Trump will always side against workers standing up for themselves, and he will always side with billionaires like Elon Musk, who is contributing $45 million a month to a Super PAC to get him elected. Both Trump and Musk want working class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It’s disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns.” 

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In New Video, UAW Contrasts Trump’s Failures with Harris’ Results for Lordstown Autoworkers

The UAW has released a new video highlighting the sharp contrast between Donald Trump’s rhetoric and Kamala Harris’ proven track record in delivering for autoworkers, with a focus on Lordstown, Ohio. 

“Donald Trump is all talk and no action when it comes to delivering for autoworkers,” says UAW President Shawn Fain. “Thanks to Vice President Harris and President Biden, Lordstown workers are returning to their hometown. That’s what it means to deliver for American autoworkers.” 

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

While Trump promised to bring jobs back to Ohio, he oversaw the closure of Lordstown Assembly and did nothing to support autoworkers fighting for good jobs before, during, or after his presidency. Kamala Harris not only stood with striking autoworkers in 2019, but helped bring back good union auto jobs to Lordstown at Ultium Cells. 

The new video comes on the heels of a two major Harris-Walz campaign events with the UAW in Michigan, following the union’s endorsement of Harris for President last week.   

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“The Answer is Solidarity”: New UAW Video Calls for Working Class Unity Against Donald Trump

In a new video, UAW President Shawn Fain outlines the stakes of this election, and the UAW’s political strategy centered on building working class unity to take on Donald Trump and the billionaire class, building off of the Stand Up Strike victories of 2023. 

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

“What we win or lose now,” says UAW President Shawn Fain, “will impact every single contract negotiation, every new organizing campaign, whether we go forwards or backwards for a generation. Everything is at stake.” 

“Last fall, America’s autoworkers said it was time to stand up. We united the entire working class. That’s the winning formula.” 

“The dream of a man like Donald Trump is that the vast majority of working-class people will remain divided. They divide us by race. They divide us by gender, by who we love, or where we were born. That’s the game of the wealthy: divide and conquer.” 

“There is only one answer to the threat we face as a nation. The answer is solidarity.” 

The new video comes on the heels of a two major Harris-Walz campaign events with the UAW in Michigan, following the union’s endorsement of Harris for President last week. 

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