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Collateral Damage: Mack Trucks Workers Speak Out Against Broken Trade Laws That Kill Jobs for Corporate Profit




Allentown, PA – In a new video, members of UAW Local 677, who build Mack Trucks in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, speak out against broken trade deals that are threatening thousands of good blue-collar jobs. The video highlights the deep frustration and disappointment felt by workers who have dedicated their careers to producing quality trucks in the Lehigh Valley, while the company pursues plans to offshore jobs to a new low-wage, high-exploitation facility in Mexico.

“We’re collateral damage, basically, to someone’s stroke of a pen. And it’s scary to think that that happens in this world today. It really does make you reevaluate what you mean to your employer. Or what you don’t mean to your employer,” says Nicole DeFuso, a skilled trades apprentice at Mack.

To view the full video, click here.

In 2023, Mack Truck workers went on strike to win a new agreement at the iconic truck maker. During those negotiations, the company falsely represented plans to further invest in Pennsylvania. Instead, the company has broken ground to build a facility in Monterrey, Mexico, where workers are likely to make less than $4 an hour.

The UAW has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board over the company’s bad faith bargaining. Mack’s decision to build a plant in Mexico—rather than keeping production in the United States—is the direct result of disastrous trade policies such as NAFTA and its successor, the USMCA.

These policies, backed by both major political parties, have paved the way for corporations to chase lower wages and weaker labor protections, leaving American workers behind. The move threatens good-paying union jobs, undermines the region’s economic stability, and represents what workers have called “a slap in the face” after years of dedication and commitment.

“The products are being sold for the same amount if not more. But that’s all going into the pockets of the corporations,” says Michael Shupp, a Local 677 member at Mack.

The newly released video provides firsthand accounts from UAW Local 677 members, who express their concerns about job security, economic uncertainty, and the erosion of domestic manufacturing. It calls out the bipartisan failure to protect American workers from these trade policies, which have fueled a race to the bottom in wages and working conditions, allowing corporations like Mack to exploit cheaper labor abroad at the expense of U.S. jobs.

The UAW has been vocal in demanding the immediate renegotiation of the USMCA, recognizing that for 40 years, so-called “free trade” has devastated the working class. Corporations have driven a relentless race to the bottom, killing good blue-collar jobs in America while exploiting workers in other countries with poverty wages. The union has also encouraged the use of tariffs as a tool in the fight to undo the injustice of anti-worker trade deals.

“I remember when I was a kid, my dad would talk about NAFTA. Now you read up on this stuff and you see how much destruction that certain things can have,” says DeFuso.

“We need to have laws that are going to support us and not have to be worried about potentially losing our jobs,” says Dan Hand, a Committeeperson with Local 677.

The union has expressed that if corporate America chooses to jack up prices on the working class or throw their own workers under the bus just to avoid paying their fair share, they should pay a penalty. The working class took the full hit when NAFTA hollowed out manufacturing towns like those in the Lehigh Valley, and they shouldn’t bear the brunt of undoing it, too.

The UAW is actively engaged in negotiations with the Trump Administration regarding its plans to end the free trade disaster. The union is looking to negotiate the terms of the upcoming auto tariffs in April in a way that benefits the working class. The union is demanding serious action to incentivize companies to change their behavior, reinvest in America, and stop cheating the American worker, the American consumer, and the American taxpayer.

 

Full text of video here:

The policies that reflect trade have not been on the worker side for many years.

And here we are.

Having them breaking ground in Monterrey, Mexico, for a Mack facility.

Collateral damage basically to someone’s stroke of a pen. And it’s scary to think that that happens in this world today.

When the company is looking at where they can go, they’re going to find the cheapest place possible. And in 1994, GM was moving to Mexico because they could pay their employees $0.48 an hour. Mack is currently moving to Mexico because they can pay their employees $3 to $4 an hour.

Really does make you reevaluate.

Wait, what you mean to your employer, or what you don’t mean to your employer?

Now, with this information, as far as with the Mexico plant, this is the first time that myself, in over 26 years, and I’m actually concerned about the longevity of the plant.

I remember when I was a kid, my dad would talk about NAFTA, and he was so mad about it. And I was just like, I don’t know what that is.

But now you read up on this stuff and you see how much destruction that certain things can have.

We need to have laws that are going to support us and not have to be worried about potentially losing our jobs.

The products are being sold for the same amount, if not more. But that’s all going into the pockets of the corporations.

Like, this is our life. This is our livelihood.

There’s a lot of question marks as far as where we’re going to be in the future.

You know, the work is important to us.

Maybe they had this in the back of their mind the whole time, that they would just move this plant and save the money on wages, going to a foreign country where they’re going to pay them pennies on the dollar to do the same labor that we do.

They’re building a bigger divide between the haves and have-nots.

The income down in Mexico is very low compared to what it is here.

They need to support their families as well.

You want to feel like your livelihood matters.

It will definitely affect work here in the Lehigh Valley.

I have 25 years in the place. You know, I planned on retiring from there.

Who wants to see us go?

Nobody, really.

When it comes to manufacturing, those are good jobs that we need to fight for.

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UAW Statement on the NLRB Member Firings

President Trump’s firing of Jennifer Abruzzo and illegal firing of Gwynne Wilcox is a bad start to a Presidential administration that says it wants to stand with the American worker. The so-called “radical” policies that Abruzzo and Wilcox pursued under the National Labor Relations Act weren’t radical at all. They stood for the principle of democracy in the workplace, giving working class Americans a fair shot at standing up on the job for fair pay, healthcare, retirement, and work-life balance through a union contract.

Aside from dismissing Abruzzo, the most pro-worker NLRB general counsel in our lifetime, and illegally terminating Wilcox, a highly qualified, competent Board member who advocated for workplace rights, the Trump Administration’s actions now spike hundreds of cases before the Board, deferring or denying justice for thousands of UAW members. This move has real world consequences that harm the working class and harm UAW members everywhere.

At Mercedes, Toyota, Blue Oval SK (a Ford & SK joint venture), Webasto, Julian Electric, and more, workers have filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against their employers to hold them accountable for illegal union-busting actions taken by management. Those cases are now at risk.

From Stellantis to Columbia University, UAW members have open NLRB cases against employers who have refused to bargain in good faith. Those cases are now at risk.

We have an open Unfair Labor Practice charge at Mack Truck for their violating our UAW contract and shipping good blue-collar American jobs to exploit workers in Mexico, a goal that the Trump Administration says they champion. That case is now at risk.

These moves don’t just weaken the NLRB, a federal agency. They also weaken the working class. When workers lose their ability to seek justice when employers break the law, it means more delay on fair pay, fairness on the job, and a fair contract for tens of thousands of workers. It means fewer rights for the working class and greater impunity for corporate criminality. It means more money for the billionaires, and less for the working class. Trump says he wants to help working class America and bring jobs back with his tariffs, but without a strong NLRB, those same jobs are at risk. These moves are a stain on President Trump’s agenda for the working class.

We call on President Trump to immediately reinstate Gwynne Wilcox to the National Labor Relations Board and appoint a General Counsel who will hold true to the text of the National Labor Relations Act by “encouraging the practice and procedure of collective bargaining and by protecting the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self- organization, and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection.”

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To Commemorate “White Shirt Day,” UAW Challenges Michigan Lawmakers to Commit to a Working-Class Agenda, Reject Corporate Influence

FLINT – Today, the UAW is challenging Michigan state politicians to join union members in the annual commemoration of “White Shirt Day.” This annual tradition honors the legacy and courage of the auto workers who organized the 1937 Flint Sit-Down Strike – whose victory reshaped the future of the working class. 

In a letter distributed to lawmakers in Lansing, the UAW encouraged their participation in White Shirt Day’s time-honored practice of wearing a white shirt on February 11. The white shirts send a message that the workers who build the cars deserve the same respect and dignity as those in corporate offices. 

A PDF of the letter can be accessed and downloaded here: 

DOWNLOAD LETTER

The UAW is taking participation in White Shirt Day as more than a symbolic gesture. By wearing a white shirt on February 11, lawmakers aren’t just making a statement – they’re committing to action on priorities laid out in the notice, including to:  

  • Guarantee strong wages and labor protections for every worker to earn a fair living. 
  • Strengthen healthcare affordability, access to critical and preventative medical care. 
  • Enhance retirement security to give workers comfort of one day retiring with dignity. 
  • Promote a healthier work-life balance so workers have time to tend to their real lives. 
  • Hold corporations accountable when they take tax breaks but leave workers behind. 
  • Combat divide-and-conquer tactics seeking to pit communities against one another. 

“For 44 days, General Motors workers endured the full-throated force of corporate greed,” the letter reads. “They faced constant threats to their lives and families and even real violence. But these autoworkers had no choice but to endure – their entire livelihoods were at stake. 

“The GM workers recognized 88 years ago that their strongest tool to leverage against even the most formidable of forces was solidarity. With a united rank-and-file, workers held the line – until they won.” 

The letter ends with a direct call-to-action from the UAW to Michigan legislators: “Michigan’s over 350,000 active and retired UAW members are ready to fight alongside elected officials who fight for the working class. Now is the time to show them whose side you’re on.” 

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Workers at Major Parts Plant in Chicago Win Their Union, Vote Overwhelmingly to Join the UAW

CHICAGO — Workers at Flex-N-Gate have voted overwhelmingly to form a union with the United Auto Workers (UAW). In the election, held yesterday and today, the 370 workers at the auto parts manufacturer in Chicago overcame an aggressive anti-union campaign by the company that included threats, intimidation and even firings of union supporters.

Flex-N-Gate is a major parts supplier for Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant. The net worth of Flex-N-Gate owner Shahid Khan is $13.3 billion, but Flex-N-Gate workers in Chicago make as little as $17.50 an hour, far below the starting wage of $25.12 for UAW production workers at Ford.

“The workers of Flex-N-Gate just proved that no power on earth is stronger than solidarity—not even the Billionaire’s Club when the working class stands up together,” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell. “Management at Flex-N-Gate tried again and again to shut down the workers’ fight for a union, but they stood up together and won their union voice. We are proud to welcome them to the UAW family and we are going to work night and day with them to win the strong first contract they deserve.”

The Chicago Flex-N-Gate workers voted 195-to-126 to join the UAW. There were also 29 challenged ballots, but that is too few to affect the outcome of the vote.

The workers of the Flex-N-Gate organizing committee issued the following joint statement: “It’s a brand-new day at Flex-N-Gate. We have won our union and we have won respect. Already, we have a powerful voice at our plant, and now we’ll begin working to win the fair pay, the good benefits and the time off with our families that every worker deserves.”

The UAW represents workers at eight other Flex-N-Gate and Ventra parts plants owned by Khan. UAW members at the Ventra plant in Sandusky, Ohio, won a strong new contract this summer with substantial raises and benefit improvements.

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VIDEO: Ultium Members Vote 98% to Ratify Contract that Sets New Standard for EV Industry

LORDSTOWN, Ohio – UAW Local 1112 members voted overwhelmingly to ratify their historic contract at Ultium Cells, which builds battery cells for GM electric vehicles. The local contract, approved by 98% over the weekend, sets a new standard for the EV industry with strong wages and benefits and historic health and safety protections.  

The Ultium workers speak about the contract victory in a new video launched today by the UAW. The video can be accessed here, and the media is invited to use the footage.  

“It enables me to just go ahead and move forward in life rather than living from paycheck to paycheck,” said Ultium worker Donald Bevly. 

“This is setting a precedent that can be built on,” said Ultium worker Chris Wyatt. “This is a guideline that every other EV plant can follow through with.”  

When Ultium opened in 2021, the workers were nonunion, they made just $16.50 an hour, and the EV industry was in a race to the bottom. But the Ultium workers organized with the UAW in late 2022 and during the Stand Up Strike, they were brought under the GM national agreement.  

By October 2027, Ultium production workers will make $35 an hour, 112% more than before they joined the UAW. The contract includes:  

  • 30% raise over three years for production workers
  • Immediate $3,000 bonus
  • Four full-time union health and safety representatives in the plant as well as a full-time union industrial hygienist on site 

“The benefits are just the best benefits I’ve had in my life,” said Ultium worker Lori Lovitz. “Paid hospitalization, holiday pay. I’ve never had this many paid holidays. Job security.”  

Another Ultium plant is beginning operations in Spring Hill, Tenn., and battery plants that will employ tens of thousands of workers are being built across the country. The Ultium contract sets a powerful precedent for those facilities and the entire EV industry.   

For more details about the agreement, visit uaw.org/ultium

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Majority of U.S. Democratic Senators Back UAW Calling for Just Transition to EVs in Big Three Contract Talks

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A majority of U.S. Democratic Senators are calling on the Big Three automakers to support a just transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in their ongoing contract talks with the UAW.

In a letter released today, the Senators said, “Profits should translate to gains for workers. It is unacceptable that in the midst of extreme financial gains for the companies, executives, and investors, the workers making the electric vehicle batteries that will enable a transition to clean energy vehicles are making poverty-level wages. Before the expiration of UAW’s contract, we urge you to announce that all electric vehicle workers at these joint ventures will be folded into the national UAW contract.”

The UAW contract expires on Sept. 14, and it covers 150,000 autoworkers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.

In a statement, UAW President Shawn Fain said, “These senators agree that now is the time to ensure all autoworkers have the same pay and safety standards that generations of UAW members have fought for and maintained. This senate letter puts a spotlight on EV workers and the need for a just transition in the new green economy because it’s a national concern for all our communities. These negotiations will set the future of the auto industry for decades to come, so we have to get it right. This is when real friends show up. Our members are thankful for the partnership we have with these senators.”

A copy of the letter is below and a full list of the signatories can be found HERE.

 

Dear Ms. Barra, Mr. Farley, Mr. Tavares, Mr. Eun, Dr. Rhee, and Mr. Chun:

As you engage in contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers (UAW), we urge you to negotiate in good faith to reach a fair outcome by agreeing to fold workers at all joint venture electric vehicle battery facilities into the national UAW contract. UAW workers have made General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Stellantis the successful, innovative, and profitable companies they are today, and workers in the new electric vehicle sector will be critical to your future success. They must share in the benefits of a union contract.

Through the passage of the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the United States Congress made it clear that electric vehicle production, as well as its contributing supply chain, is a national priority industry. We were proud to support the legislation that made major investments in this American clean energy industry possible – we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address the disrupting impact of climate change on American families, as well as ensure that the technologies of the future are designed and produced here in the United States by American workers with union contracts. We can and must do both.

Though we can all agree that investments in electric vehicle production are necessary to outpace foreign competition, these investments are not a blank check on worker conditions. Department of Energy loans made possible by the IRA require the companies to create “good-paying jobs with strong labor standards…throughout the life of the loan.”

In other words, high-tech electric vehicle manufacturing jobs should set the standard for wages and benefits for all American manufacturing jobs. These are highly skilled, technical, and strenuous jobs. To that end, it is unacceptable and a national disgrace that the starting wage at any current American joint venture electric vehicle battery facility is $16 an hour. We note that at $33,320 a year, the starting wage at one of these facilities is just above the poverty level for a family of four. American workers, especially those working full time in 21st century state-of-the-art manufacturing, should not make poverty level wages.

The starting wage at these electric vehicle facilities is particularly egregious in the face of the billions of dollars of profits GM, Stellantis, and Ford have made in the past 10 years. Between 2013 and 2022, General Motors and Ford Motor Company made over $100 billion and $75 billion in profit in North America, respectively. Stellantis announced almost $18 billion in profits in 2022 alone. This should, in theory, be great news. It is a testament to our economic resilience that profits are now well above pre-pandemic levels. But despite these impressive figures, General Motors and Stellantis have both announced plans to restart billion-dollar stock buyback programs rather than invest in their workers. In fact, in that same profitable 10-year period, GM, Ford and Stellantis have all closed or “idled” productive plants across the country, including the General Motors Lordstown Facility in Ohio and the Stellantis Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois. These closures should never have happened in the first place.

Profits should translate to gains for workers. It is unacceptable that in the midst of extreme financial gains for the companies, executives, and investors, the workers making the electric vehicle batteries that will enable a transition to clean energy vehicles are making poverty-level wages. Before the expiration of UAW’s contract, we urge you to announce that all electric vehicle workers at these joint ventures will be folded into the national UAW contract.

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UAW President Shawn Fain to Rally with Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien and Hundreds of UPS Teamsters

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — UAW President Shawn Fain and Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla will join Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, Teamsters Local 804 President Vinnie Perrone, and hundreds of UPS workers at the Teamsters Contract Unity Rally in New York this Saturday, July 15th.

The rally comes as the Teamsters near their July 31st strike deadline at UPS, covering 340,000 Teamster drivers and warehouse workers, and amidst the opening of contract negotiations at the Big Three automakers, covering 150,000 autoworkers.  

WHAT: UPS Teamsters Contract Unity Rally

WHEN: Saturday, July 15, 9am

WHERE: Teamsters Local 282, 2500 Marcus Avenue, New Hyde Park, NY

“From UPS to the Big Three, Corporate America continues to attack the working class in this country, and the Teamsters are teaching us all a lesson in fighting back,” UAW President Shawn Fain said. “The UAW stands in solidarity with our Teamster family and I’m traveling to New York to deliver that message straight to the hardworking Teamsters at UPS.”

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HIGH RISK & LOW PAY: New Report Exposes Major Health and Safety Problems at GM’s New Battery Cell Plant in Ohio

Today, the UAW releases “High Risk & Low Pay: A Case Study of Ultium Cells Lordstown,” a white paper that highlights the dangerous working conditions at General Motors’ joint-venture battery cell plant in Lordstown, Ohio. It includes worker testimonials and health & safety research that show the urgent need to raise wages and safety standards in the EV battery industry.

READ THE WHITE PAPER HERE: UAW.org/Ultium

In December 2022, the workers who build electric vehicle batteries for Ultium Cells in Lordstown, Ohio, voted overwhelmingly to join the UAW.

The white paper follows a video released last week, “Our Defining Moment,” featuring the voices of Ultium workers speaking out on the risk of a failed transition to electric vehicles if companies like General Motors continue to pursue a low-road approach. View the video here.

It also follows an independent report by Good Jobs First, “Power Outrage: Will Heavily Subsidized Battery Factories Generate Substandard Jobs?” The report details the immense government subsidies going into the EV battery industry, and how corporate America is using them to drastically lower industry standards for EV workers. Read the report here.

For the full story of the Ultium workers’ fight for justice, visit UAW.org/Ultium

 

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Constellium Workers Who Supply Ford Plants Launch Unfair Labor Practice Strike

VAN BUREN CHARTER TOWNSHIP, MI – As of midnight on the morning of May 17th,160 workers at Constellium Automotive are on strike, after weeks of the company refusing to bargain in good faith. The plant supplies parts for the Ford F-150, F-150 Lightning, Explorer and Super Duty at six UAW-represented Ford Assembly plants,

The workers, members of UAW Local 174, are seeking to address serious health and safety issues, along with unfair discipline from management.

“Our negotiating team has met with the company nine times since April 18th,” UAW Region 1A Director Laura Dickerson said. “And on every single occasion, Constellium has made it very clear they have zero interest in taking our members’ proposals seriously. This is a prime example of employer arrogance forcing the hand of its workforce.”

The UAW has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company for bargaining in bad faith and expects to resume negotiations this week.

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Next-Gen Battery Maker SPARKZ, United Auto Workers Announce National Labor Agreement

The neutrality statement is the first step towards establishing a historic climate-tech workforce partnership; catalyst is SPARKZ exploring GigaCampus in central California

LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA/DETROIT—SPARKZ, the next-generation battery manufacturer re-engineering the battery supply chain, and the United Auto Workers announced today they have signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a national labor-management agreement and statement of neutrality. The agreement initiates a strong foothold for the union in battery manufacturing and provides SPARKZ with a partnership to recruit and train the best workers in America.

SPARKZ is finalizing plans for its first GigaCampus location in central California to expand commercialization of its zero-cobalt, zero-nickel battery, which will initially employ 500 workers and could grow to as many as 3,000.

“SPARKZ is proud to partner with the UAW to secure the American worker’s place in the new energy economy, while re-engineering the battery supply chain domestically,” said SPARKZ founder and CEO Sanjiv Malhotra. “This partnership is a symbol of American innovation and American workers building a high-quality energy future together, while fighting to end foreign dominance of advanced batteries.”

SPARKZ believes the agreement with UAW will make it more competitive against industry leaders by leveraging the talents of auto workers that focus on the highest quality and safety standards.

“Workers across the battery supply chain, from electric vehicles to agricultural equipment, must have the right to organize,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “We applaud SPARKZ for doing the right thing in agreeing not to interfere with workers’ right to join a union and look forward to winning a strong contract that sets the standard for the battery industry.”

“UAW members in California have a critical role to play in the fight for climate justice,” said UAW Region 6 Director Mike Miller. “Collective bargaining in the emerging green economy is a key piece of that work.”

California will be the first location for the partnership. SPARKZ has committed to over 800 new, full-time jobs and over $700 million of investment in the state.

“The future happens in California first. As we continue leading the clean energy industry of tomorrow, we have to ensure the hardworking people who build our world-class economy are valued and prioritized,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom. SPARKZ and the United Auto Workers are helping us lead that charge by recognizing the climate technology we need should be made by America’s best-trained workforce. Thanks to their partnership, the next generation batteries manufactured in California will be more sustainable, more efficient, and help secure the energy storage supply chain to ensure California achieves its zero-carbon emission goals.”

SPARKZ announced plans in 2022 to set up shop in West Virginia for material processing and production of cells and modules. The project, projected to begin manufacturing in 2023, will help coalfield families transition into the new energy economy. SPARKZ will continue to collaborate exclusively with the United Mine Workers of America in West Virginia.

About SPARKZ
Founded by industry veteran and former U.S. Department of Energy executive Sanjiv Malhotra, SPARKZ will begin commercialization of a high energy-density Cobalt-free, American-made Lithium-ion battery, while continuing its groundbreaking research and development focused on re-engineering the rest of the battery supply chain.

The company’s first commercial product will eliminate cobalt, traditionally used in the cathode of a Lithium-ion battery, with the objective of reducing the cost of lithium battery production in the U.S., while also eliminating a primary environmental concern, and reducing chokepoints created by a foreign supply-chain. SPARKZ will be announcing its customer and OEM partnerships soon.

SPARKZ was founded in late 2019 and has been in innovation mode. SPARKZ has completed the transfer of 6 patents from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which continues to be an R&D partner. In addition to being 100% cobalt-free, the patents also reduce production time significantly and enhance battery performance.

 

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