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UAW Workers Walk Out at Penske Logistics in El Paso after Company’s Refusal to Bargain in Good Faith

Members of Local 286 who work at Penske Logistics walked off the job in an unfair labor practice strike following the company’s refusal to negotiate a first contract in good faith. 

More than 40 workers in the clerical unit of the El Paso, TX, facility voted to form their union over a year ago and have been stonewalled by the company in their attempt to win a first contract. Members are seeking fair pay, real paid time off, and better benefits, particularly health care.

“I am on strike because clerical workers at Penske deserve a fair contract, and to be able to care for our families,” said Juan Amparan, a Penske worker. “Health insurance is so expensive that my family hasn’t been able to afford to go to the doctor. This company treats us like we are machines and tools, but we are people.”

With a high premium and $6,000 a year deductible, the current option is so unaffordable that half of the workers don’t receive any health insurance. Most workers make around $18 an hour, while health care premiums cost around $180 per week. Workers are pushing to raise wages to at least $20 an hour and are striking to bring company negotiators back to the bargaining table in hopes of reaching an agreement.

“The company’s refusal to sit down with workers and hash out a deal with fair pay and benefits so workers can care for their families is unacceptable,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “It’s time for Penske to get serious and negotiate in good faith.”

Penske Logistics workers are the latest UAW members standing up to win their fair share of the massive profits they produce. Last year, thousands of UAW autoworkers walked out on strike for six weeks and won record contracts at the Big Three automakers.

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Webasto Workers Ratify First Contract, Winning Up To 51% Raises with UAW Local 3000

Over 200 Webasto workers at the Pilot Road plant in Plymouth, Michigan have voted to ratify their first contract by an overwhelming 96% yes vote, winning raises of up to 51% over three years, among other gains.

The workers, who make convertible soft tops for GM, Ford, and Stellantis for the German auto supplier, organized in 2023 with UAW Local 3000, Region 1A.  They are the first Webasto workers in the United States to secure a collective bargaining agreement. 

“The company was mistreating us and doing whatever they wanted to do to the employees for years. People have been here for more than 3 years without a raise, which is unacceptable,” said Jammy Samuel, a Webasto Pilot Road UAW Local 3000 member on the Jeep Line. “We had enough. This contract will help protect us.  The cost of living has gone up, so, the pay should go up as well. It’s that simple.  Moving forward with this contract will help not only on our wages, but will help fairness and equality for everyone. I’m very excited about this contract, as are the rest of my coworkers at Webasto.” 

Many workers will receive a $9 an hour raise over the life of the contract, on top of a $2,250 ratification bonus. These Webasto workers are the latest UAW members to win big as part of the Stand Up Movement.

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Statement from UAW Vice President Mike Booth on Expansion of GM Special Attrition Program

“In our 2023 contract negotiations, we won an additional $50,000 for eligible GM workers who were ready to retire, as an additional boost in retirement security for our members who have given decades of their working lives to this company. It’s called the Special Attrition Program, or SAP. We wanted to make sure workers who are ready to retire get an additional bonus as recognition for their service to GM, and the many sacrifices made along the way. 

One difference between what we won at GM and what we won at Ford and Stellantis is that every GM worker who’s eligible to retire during the life of the agreement will have the opportunity to receive the $50,000 SAP, if they choose to do so; not just those members who were eligible upon ratification. But the size, scope, and timing of each phase of the SAP was to be negotiated.  

As you know, we negotiated our first phase earlier this year, and won SAP eligibility for around 748 members. Once we announced this first phase, many members spoke up and said that we needed to expand the eligibility in this first phase. 

We heard you. So we took it back to the company and said it wasn’t good enough. 

Today I am excited to announce that we have won SAPs for ALL 1,412 GM production workers who signed up for the SAP. Those workers will immediately be eligible to receive the $50,000 retirement bonus, with retirement dates effective June 1st, July 1st or August 1st. That’s a big win, and a big expansion from what GM was first willing to offer. 

But we still have work to do. We have not yet won immediate eligibility of all of the 545 skilled trades workers who have expressed interest in taking the SAP; only about 142 are immediately eligible in this first window. We’re still fighting to win an expansion on that number. At GM, we have a shortage of skilled trades workers, a problem which will require creative solutions on the company’s part, and an expansion of their apprenticeship programs. We’re going to continue to fight for our skilled trades members who want to retire. And to be clear, every single member who is eligible to retire will have the opportunity to receive the $50,000 SAP during the life of this contract, skilled trades and production.  

The other good news is that the next window is coming soon. The company has agreed to open the next SAP window in the 4th quarter of 2024. 

We are hard at work on building on our contract victories, and intend to keep delivering for all UAW members at GM. 

In solidarity,

UAW Vice President Mike Booth 

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American Folk Art Museum Workers To Vote On Unionization

New York, NY  – On Thursday, June 6, staff at the American Folk Art Museum will vote on whether to unionize with Local 2110 UAW. The wall-to-wall unit includes curators, retail staff, educators, IT, communication staff, and others. The Museum is the latest in a growing movement of museum workers to organize.

Staff members cite lack of transparency and a desire for fair wages, benefits, recognition, and sustainable working conditions as reasons for unionizing. 

“I love the Museum, its exhibitions and programs,” Jean Seestadt, Manager of Events, says, “but I want employment here to be sustainable over a longer period. We’ve seen too many great colleagues leave.” 

Eve Erickson, Executive Assistant, adds: “The staff are an important part of the Museum and by unionizing, we have a voice in our own conditions of work and our future at the Museum.”

The last few years have seen thousands of workers in cultural institutions decide to unionize. Employees at the Jewish Museum, The Dia Foundation, the Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Hispanic Society of America, Film Forum, Anthology Film Archives, MASS MoCA, Film at Lincoln Center, Studio in a School, the Portland Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston voted to unionize with Local 2110 since November 2020. Many reference similar issues of low pay, and lack of job security or opportunity.

The American Folk Art Museum, located at 2 Lincoln Square on the Upper West Side has existed for over fifty years. 

Local 2110 UAW also represents workers at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MASS MoCA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, Columbia University, Film Forum, Teachers College, ACLU, Center for Reproductive Rights, The New Press, and many more. The union has a reputation for its successful organizing and bargaining. 

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Legal Worker Union Ratifies Contract Offer, Calling to End Historic 13-Week Strike

New York, NY – On Monday, 72% of participating union members at Mobilization for Justice (MFJ) voted to ratify the contract offer presented by MFJ Management last week. Pending MFJ Board ratification, this agreement will conclude the Union’s nearly three-month strike — the longest NYC legal services strike since 1991 — with major victories including double digit raises for MFJ’s lowest paid workers.

“We presented contract demands to Management in November, aiming to promote racial and economic justice by lifting wages, sustaining healthcare, and improving workplace equity,” said Union Bargaining Team member and paralegal Ella Abeo. “Management responded with demands for givebacks, antagonistic counter-offers, and repeated violations of their duty to bargain in good faith. Striking was our only option to compel them to honor MFJ’s mission.”

The Union’s recent pressure campaign on MFJ’s funders and other stakeholders led to Management meeting several core Union demands, including a starting base salary of $60,000. This sector-leading victory results in a 17% raise for administrative staff and a 13% raise for paralegals. Law graduates will receive an 18% raise, while other staff—including attorneys, social workers, and specialists—will receive a 4% increase for 2024. All unionized staff will receive 3% annual raises in 2025 and 2026, along with a one-time ratification bonus.

The strike expanded protections for the Union’s most vulnerable members. Management will offer full-time union positions to two workers initially hired through temp agencies, including one who was unjustly fired for asserting her union rights. The agreement also ensures enhanced due process for disciplinary cases and equitable remote work policies for all workers.

The Union preserved its health care plan with no premiums and retained the right to veto changes by Management. Additionally, there were no givebacks on sick leave and vacation accrual.

Union members formed strike committees and used direct actions, boycotts, and relentless picketing to pressure Management into a fair agreement. “Management pushed us, but we pushed back harder,” said Abeo. “This strike shows that when workers unite, we will win.”

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Statement from UAW President Shawn Fain on Mercedes Alabama Vote

“These courageous workers at Mercedes reached out to the UAW because they wanted justice. They led us. And they lead us. What happens next is up to them. 

Justice isn’t about one vote or one campaign. It’s about getting a voice, getting your fair share. And let’s be clear: workers won serious gains in this campaign. They raised their wages, with the “UAW bump.” They killed wage tiers. They got rid of a CEO who had no interest in improving conditions in the workplace. Mercedes is a better place to work thanks to this campaign, and thanks to these courageous workers.  

The company told the workers to give the new CEO a chance. That’s exactly what Volkswagen told its workers in 2019. And in 2024, Volkswagen workers realized it’s not about a CEO. It’s about a voice on the job, it’s about getting our lives back, and getting our time back. The only path to do that is through a union contract. 

Mercedes engaged in egregious illegal behavior. The federal government as well as the German government are currently investigating Mercedes for the intimidation and harassment they inflicted on their own workers. We intend to follow that process through. 

This is a David and Goliath fight. Sometimes Goliath wins a battle. But David wins the war.  

These workers will win their fair share. And we will be there every step of the way to support them. 

We’ve been here before. We know what we’re taking on. This company, like most corporations, operated off the same old playbook of fear, threats and intimidation. 

Our fight is also in the halls of the legislatures of this country. Sixty million Americans say they’d join a union if given the option. Polling here in Alabama and in Tennessee show people supported the UAW by a two to one margin. But with weak labor laws in place, sometimes the companies are able to turn those numbers around. 

The UAW will continue to lead the fight against corporate greed and runaway inequality. And through that fight we’ll change the nation and the world for the better. 

While this loss stings, these workers keep their heads held high. We fight the good fight and continue forward. 

And the workers here ultimately will win. Most of us have lost elections in our lives and I know I’ve always learned from it. What matters is what you do with that experience. 

We put everything we had in this fight, we left nothing on the table. I look at John Wooden’s definition of success: “Success is the peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you’re capable. Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.” 

There are more than 2,000 workers at Mercedes in Alabama who want to join our union. They aren’t going away. The sun will rise, and the sun will set, and our fight for justice for the working class will continue. 

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Mercedes-Benz Under Investigation by German Government for Illegally Violating Workers Rights at Alabama Plant

The German government is officially investigating Mercedes-Benz Group AG for the company’s illegal anti-union conduct at the Mercedez-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama. Germany’s Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control announced the formal investigation yesterday. 

Voting is currently underway at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where a supermajority of workers have come out in support of the union and have been subjected to a brutal, months-long campaign of illegal intimidation by management and outside anti-union consultants hired by the company.  

“Autoworkers in Alabama should have the same rights and be treated with the same respect as autoworkers in Germany,” said Jeremy Kimbrell, who has worked at the plant since 1999. “My coworkers and I are grateful to the German government for taking our testimonies and the evidence we have provided seriously and taking the first steps to hold the lawless, reckless Mercedes managers in Alabama accountable for their action.” 

The UAW filed charges against Mercedes-Benz Group AG in early April for violating Germany’s new law on global supply chain practices. Mercedes-Benz’s aggressive anti-union campaign against U.S. autoworkers in Alabama is a clear human rights violation under the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains. Mercedes-Benz could face billions in penalties, including significant fines and bans on government contracts. 

The Alabama plant is operated by Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), a subsidiary of Stuttgart-based Mercedes-Benz Group AG. The UAW complaint details how MBUSI has intimidated, threatened and even fired Alabama workers in violation of U.S. labor law and International Labor Organization Conventions. The complaint documents seven violations of the German act, including:

  • The firing of a union supporter with Stage 4 cancer. The employee had been allowed to have his cellphone with him at work so he could receive updates on the availability of his scarce chemo drug. But a supervisor who has intimidated union supporters claimed there was a zero-tolerance policy on cellphones and had him fired.
  • A January letter from MBUSI CEO Michael Göbel to employees that attempted to chill union activity and violated their freedom of association. The letter was filled with stock phrases used by anti-union consultants designed to stoke fear, uncertainty, and division.
  • A mandatory plant-wide meeting Göbel held in February to discourage workers from unionizing. At this meeting, Göbel told workers “I don’t believe the UAW can help us to be better” and that they “shouldn’t have to pay union dues that generate millions of dollars per year for an organization where you have no transparency where that money is used.”
  • Another mandatory plant-wide meeting in February that featured former University of Alabama football Coach Nick Saban. Before and during the meeting, MBUSI supervisors attempted to stop union supporters from passing out UAW hats.

Despite the company’s anti-union campaign, a supermajority of MBUSI workers publicly support the union and workers are confident that they will win their union when ballots are tallied on Friday, May 17th. They will become the second Southern auto plant to vote to join the UAW in less than 30 days, and the second of dozens of non-union auto plants that are actively organizing across the country. 

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Attend the 2024 International UAW Women’s and TOP Conference, August 25 – 30

The 2024 International UAW Women’s and TOP Conference will be held at the Marriott Marquis Chicago, August 25 – August 30, 2024. Attendance is limited to delegates. Please see the call letter for the agenda, more Regional Guidelines, Local Union Guidelines, and Conference Themed Day’s, which include registration, transportation information, and cancellation information.

DOWNLOAD CALL LETTER
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UAW Local 869 Votes to Authorize Strike at Stellantis’ Warren Stamping Plant

Over 1,000 members of UAW Local 869 who work at the Stellantis Warren Stamping Plant in Warren, Mich., have voted to authorize a strike over the company’s refusal to address health & safety grievances at the facility.

In a new video, Stellantis workers at Local 869 speak out about health & safety issues in the plant.

“We must stand up and stand together for this health and safety grievance procedure because this is our livelihood,” said Local 869 member Chautay Smith. “So, let’s stand up at Warren Stamping and take care of us the way we need to be taken care of.”

Workers at the plant are facing a wide range of unresolved issues, including problems with ventilation fans, ergo matting, personal protective equipment (PPE), flooding, basement lighting & flooring, restrooms, oil leaks, overall sanitation, and more.

“Not only do we want these health and safety grievances resolved, we want our members to leave the same way they came,” UAW Local 869 President Romaine McKinney III said. “We want members to understand they’re not just a number or just a body on the line. They will come to work and feel like they have some ownership in that building.”

Warren Stamping supplies over half a dozen Stellantis plants, from Windsor, Ontario to Saltillo, Mexico, and any work stoppage could particularly impact production of the Dodge RAM, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Wagoneer.

Stellantis made nearly $20 billion in profits last year, and Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was compensated over $37 million in 2023.

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UAW Members Ratify Historic Contract at Daimler Truck

UAW members at Daimler Truck turned out in record numbers to ratify their new historic common contract by 94.5%. The four-year agreement delivers major economic gains for 7,300 workers who build Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Thomas Built Buses in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. The deal includes raises of more than 25%, and the introduction of profit-sharing and Cost-of-Living (COLA) for the first time at Daimler. The agreement will end the tiered wage system at Daimler, ensuring that workers who make trucks and workers who make buses get equal pay for equal work by the end of the contract.

“Daimler Truck workers just showed the world that Southern workers have the power to Stand Up and win big in heavy truck and beyond,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Knowing that Daimler had made record profits year after year from their hard work, members used every tool – including the potent threat of a strike – to win. Daimler workers and UAW members are not only setting the standard but raising it. Workers are fed up and ready to fight for a better way of life, and the UAW is ready to go all-out in that fight.” 

“The membership at Daimler Truck was fired up and unified. That energy fueled the bargaining team’s push for a record contract – and they made great gains on the issues our members said were most important to them,” said Tim Smith, Region 8 Director. “Across Region 8, workers are standing up for justice and a better way of life. Whether they’re just forming their union, like the brave workers in Chattanooga and Tuscaloosa, or bargaining a new contract at Daimler, Southern workers continue to push for a voice and a fair deal in this economy.” 

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