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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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Kamala Harris and Tim Walz Meet with UAW Members, Leaders, at UAW Local 900 in Wayne, Michigan

WAYNE, MI – Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz joined UAW members and leaders at UAW Local 900’s union hall in Wayne, Michigan, to discuss the issues that matter to working class people in this election. 

Local 900 represents thousands of members at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, one of the three original Stand Up Strike locals that walked out on September 15, 2023. These members were the leading edge of a strike that brought Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis to the bargaining table and agree to record contracts for 150,000 Big Three autoworkers. 

“I am so deeply honored as a lifelong supporter of union labor, for Tim and I to have the endorsement of the UAW,” Vice President Kamala Harris said. “When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. We stand for the people. We stand for the dignity of work. We stand for justice. We stand for equality. And we will fight for all of it.” 

“Thank you for the privilege of walking the picket line with you last year and thank you for allowing us to lift up our voices,” Governor Tim Walz told UAW members in attendance. “The work that you did didn’t just benefit UAW workers – it benefited all workers. So, I couldn’t be prouder to be on this stage and couldn’t be prouder to stand with the UAW.” 

“At the end of the day, we all know that we rise and fall together,” Local 900 President Dwayne Walker said. “And that’s why we need to be involved in this process. It’s now or never. We may never have this chance again. We need to be together, and we have to be proactive.”

“We wanted to let Vice President Harris know we got her back,” Region 1A Director Laura Dickerson said. “We’re proud that she stopped by to see us here in Wayne, Michigan. We know she’s with us because she understands that all UAW members want is to make an honest living, feed our families, and put our kids through college.” 

“I’m very proud, on behalf of the UAW, to welcome Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz to our house – to labor’s house,” UAW President Shawn Fain said. “This election is about a choice, about whether we continue forward or whether we go backward. This is a ‘which side are you on moment,’ and the choice cannot be any clearer.” 

The UAW International Executive Board voted to endorse Kamala Harris last week, citing her record of standing with the UAW and working class people, opposing anti-worker trade deals, and taking on corporate greed.  

On Wednesday, thousands of UAW members joined tens of thousands of Michiganders in welcoming the Harris-Walz ticket to the state, building a movement to win for the working class in November and beyond. 

Photo of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz at the UAW Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI on August 8, 2024.
Photo of Vice President Kamala Harris at the UAW Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, on August 8, 2024.
Photo of Vice President Kamala Harris at the UAW Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, on August 8, 2024.
Photo of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz at the UAW Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, on August 8, 2024.
Photo of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaking at the UAW Local 900 union hall on August 8, 2024.
Photo of Vice President Kamala Harris at the UAW Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, on August 8, 2024.
Photo of UAW members at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz on August 8, 2024.
Photo of UAW members at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz on August 8, 2024.
Photo of UAW Region 1A Director Laura Dickerson (far left) and UAW President Shawn Fain (middle, blue shirt) addressing the media at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, during Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz's visit on August 8, 2024.
Photo of UAW members at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz on August 8, 2024.
Photo of UAW members at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz on August 8, 2024.
Photo of UAW members at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz on August 8, 2024.
Photo of UAW members at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz on August 8, 2024.
Photo of UAW members at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz on August 8, 2024.
Photo of Vice President Kamala Harris shaking hands with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as UAW President Shawn Fain looks on.
Photo of UAW members at the Local 900 union hall in Wayne, MI, to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz on August 8, 2024.
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“Everything the Working Class Has Ever Won, We’ve Had to Fight for”: UAW Releases New Video Endorsing Kamala Harris for President

DETROIT – The UAW released a new video today endorsing Kamala Harris for President of the United States. The video highlights the stark contrast between the candidates: Donald Trump, who is a scab and a lapdog for the billionaires, and Kamala Harris, who has stood with working people and walked a picket line. The media is invited to use the video on the union’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter account.

UAW President Shawn Fain narrates, “Whether at the workplace, or at the ballot box, we’re done falling behind. We’re ready to stand up.”

“In 2024, we’ve got a choice. We can put a billionaire back in office and let him and his buddies get even richer. Or we can elect somebody who’s ready to stand with us. Somebody who’s walked a picket line.”

On Wednesday, the UAW International Executive Board voted to endorse Kamala Harris for President, and will join Harris for a mass rally in Detroit on Wednesday, August 7th, with a visit with UAW members to follow.

The video’s full transcript is available here:

Look around you. 
We live in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. 
We’ve got enough food for every plate. 
Enough doctors for every patient. 
And enough jobs for every family. 
So why do working class Americans have to scrape to get by paycheck to paycheck? 

Everything the working class has ever won, we’ve had to fight for. 
And every time we win an inch, the billionaires want to take back a mile. 
Whether at the workplace, or at the ballot box. 
We’re done falling behind. We’re ready to stand up. 
And we need a President who’s ready to stand with us.

In 2024, we’ve got a choice. 
We can put a billionaire back in office  
and let him and his buddies get even richer. 

Or we can elect somebody who’s ready to stand with us. 
Somebody who’s walked a picket line. 
Somebody who’s on our side. 

We know which side we’re on. 
We’re voting for Kamala Harris in 2024 
Because she’s walked the walk. 
Because she supports working class people when we fight for more. 
And because we don’t need another billionaire in the White House. 
Donald Trump is no friend of the working class. 
Donald Trump is a scab.
I’m a UAW member, and I’m voting for Kamala Harris for President.

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UAW Solidarity Statement with Striking GM Workers in Brazil

The UAW stands in solidarity with striking auto workers at the General Motors assembly plant in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Workers at the facility are protesting the company’s recent unjust layoffs and retaliatory firings, decisions that were made in the name of corporate greed.

Workers at the facility, who are represented by the Metalworkers Union of São José dos Campos, have conducted two strikes since last Friday. They are demanding the reinstatement of 50 workers laid off by GM last week. They are also demanding job security and the opening of the Voluntary Dismissal Program if layoffs are inevitable.

What’s been made evidently clear by these arbitrary decisions is that GM is attempting to union-bust and cut labor costs at a time when the company is raking in billions of dollars. GM amassed over $10 billion in profits in 2023 alone. The company looks poised to have an even stronger year in 2024.

“This type of behavior by General Motors is unnecessary and unconscionable,” said UAW Vice President Mike Booth. “There is absolutely no reason why this corporation should be cutting jobs that will so negatively affect the lives of its workers and the local community at a time of record profits. The UAW is committed to supporting these brave workers and the Metalworkers Union in any way we can.”

The GM São José dos Campos plant produces the Trailblazer and S10 models, as well as engines and transmissions. The automaker employs around 3,150 workers in the city.

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