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UAW Celebrates GM’s Nearly $1 Billion Investment in Tonawanda Propulsion

TONAWANDA, NY– Yesterday, General Motors announced an additional $888 million investment in its Tonawanda Propulsion plant. For months, union leaders have been in active discussions with GM to advocate for increased investment in its UAW facilities. The investment will support the company’s next generation V-8 engines which are used in full-size trucks and SUVs.

“This enormous investment is exactly what we’ve been calling for,” said UAW Vice President Mike Booth. “Skilled UAW members, like members of UAW Local 774, make GM’s profits, so it’s great to see the company investing back into its union workforce so we can keep building quality, world-class products.”

“It’s time for Ford and Stellantis to learn from GM,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “GM is showing that it makes good business sense for major corporations to reverse course on the destructive race-to-the-bottom trade policies that have wreaked havoc on workers and destroyed blue-collar towns and cities across America.”

The announcement comes on top of GM’s $579 million investment to build the same V-8 engine at Flint Engine Operations, represented by UAW Local 659. That earlier commitment in Flint was secured in the union’s 2023 national contract through the membership’s historic Stand Up Strike.

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UAW Marine Drafters Ratify Contract, Locking in Major Gains

Groton, CT—After an unprecedented contract campaign, UAW Local 571 members have ratified a new contract with General Dynamics – Electric Boat. Members voted by 85% to ratify the new agreement.

During the campaign, the local leadership rejected closed-door bargaining, and instead regularly updated their membership on negotiations. Union members built a new network of over 100 strike captains, and signed up 2,200 members, or more than 90% of the bargaining unit, for picket duty — mounting a serious threat of a strike.

The member-driven campaign resulted in major gains for members of the Marine Draftsmen Association (MDA). The five-year agreement, covering more than 2,400 workers in Groton who design our nation’s nuclear submarines, secures a 30% wage increase over the life of the agreement and an improved wage progression. In total, MDA-UAW members will see a cumulative $115,000 per-member increase in total compensation during the agreement.

“We did negotiations differently this time,” said Bill Louis, the President of Local 571. “Our members worked hard and got involved in our campaign. After more than a decade of ‘living to fight another day,’ we finally stood up and won the respect that all workers deserve.”

“I want to congratulate the members of MDA-UAW,” said UAW Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla. “They showed that you don’t need to play by management’s rules. When union members get involved in the bargaining process, we win contracts that raise the standard for the entire working class.”

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StarPlus Workers in Indiana Win Union as Majority Sign Cards to Join the UAW

KOKOMO, Ind. — A majority of workers at StarPlus Energy in Kokomo, Indiana, have signed cards to join the UAW, and the company has agreed to recognize their union. StarPlus, a joint venture between Stellantis and Samsung SDI, stayed neutral during the process and did not stand in the way of the 420 workers who chose to organize. With no threats or pressure, workers came together and won their union as soon as a majority signed cards.

“This is a big deal for StarPlus workers in Indiana,” said Frank Bush, a worker at StarPlus. “We were able to decide our future without intimidation, and now we’re on a path to the good pay and benefits, and respect on the job that other autoworkers in battery are winning.”

StarPlus workers are joining a growing wave of union wins across the Midwest and South. Their success follows major victories at other battery plants, including Lordstown, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, where workers unionized with the UAW and won strong agreements.

“The UAW members at StarPlus stood up to make sure battery jobs are good union jobs,” said Dave Green, Director of UAW Region 2B. “Workers in Indiana and across the region, know they deserve fair wages, workplace protections, and the dignity that UAW members have been fighting for the last 90 years. As a union family, they need to know that we’re going to have their back every step of the way.”

The Kokomo plant started production earlier this year and is part of a larger expansion of electric vehicle battery manufacturing in the U.S. The victory in Kokomo adds to the momentum sparked by the breakthrough contracts won by UAW members at the Lordstown and Spring Hill plants, which included major wage increases and strong health and safety protections.

“Joining the union is going to help us build a better life,” said Anna Deweese, another StarPlus worker. “We’re not asking for the moon—we just want decent pay, affordable healthcare, and to have protections in an uncertain economy.”

Sara Kidwell, also at StarPlus, added, “When you’re on your own, it’s hard to speak up. But when we stand together, they’ve got to listen. That’s what being in a union is all about.”

The protections won through the Big Three agreement provide a powerful framework for workers at new EV plants like StarPlus. With strong union support, workers are now in a better position to secure fair wages, safe workplaces, and long-term stability in this fast-growing industry.

While workers in Kokomo move forward, others are still waiting for a fair shot. At BlueOval SK in Kentucky, workers have filed for a union election but remain in limbo as the company and Ford drag out the process and deploy intimidation and surveillance tactics. The BlueOval SK facility was recently the subject of a Louisville Courier-Journal exposé, which detailed hazardous working conditions, including chemical exposure, mold, bat infestations, and workplace injuries. Workers there have pointed to the promise of union protections as a key reason for coming together. They continue to fight for a voice on the job, for safety, and for dignity—just like the workers at StarPlus.

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UAW Endorses Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. for Mayor of Detroit

Detroit, MI — The United Auto Workers have endorsed Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. for Mayor of Detroit. A longtime advocate for working-class people, Kinloch possesses not only a bold vision for an inclusive Detroit but also deep union roots — as a former member of UAW Local 235 and the son of a proud UAW family.

As Detroit has made a comeback, far too many working-class families have still been left behind. Rev. Kinloch understands that the revival of the city means nothing if it doesn’t reach everyone. He has stood in solidarity with UAW members time and again — including walking the picket line with UAW Local 900 members and feeding strikers and their families during their recent strike — proving that he doesn’t just talk about economic justice; he lives it.

“In this election, Detroit needs a champion who will fight for the working class and build a city that works for everyone — not just the few,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Rev. Kinloch has the heart, the vision, and the moral leadership to deliver for working people.”

“He’s one of us,” said UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English. “He knows what it means to punch a clock, stand shoulder to shoulder with your brothers and sisters, and demand dignity on the job.”

“UAW members in Region 1A know that solidarity isn’t just a slogan for Solomon Kinloch — it’s how he lives,” said UAW Region 1A Director Laura Dickerson. “When our members were on strike and needed assistance, he didn’t hesitate. He showed up. He lifted us up. Having been a UAW member himself, he understands the power of standing together.”

The UAW is the largest union in Michigan with over 350,000 active and retired members. In the City of Detroit, UAW members and their household family members are over 120,000 strong. The UAW is ready to be a difference-maker in this election. Following a launch event later this spring, UAW members will knock doors, make calls, and turn out in force to elect Rev. Kinloch.

La Jornada: To Mexican Autoworkers

English

4/30/25 

La Jornada 

To Mexican Autoworkers 

By UAW President Shawn Fain 

I am an autoworker. My grandparents were autoworkers. I grew up in an autoworker town called Kokomo, Indiana. 

As a young father, I got a job as an electrician at Chrysler. I joined the UAW – the United Auto Workers – and it changed my life. Through the union, I learned that no matter where you’re from, if you work for a living, the working class is your family. So today, on International Workers Day, May Day, I want to say loud and clear: Mexican autoworkers are not our enemy. You are our family. 

We, Mexican and U.S. autoworkers, work for the same corporations that rake in tens of billions of dollars in profits made on the backs of working people. We both take enormous pride in the quality of the work we do. And we are both getting screwed by a disastrous free trade system that pits us against each other in a race to the bottom while the billionaires get richer. 

I saw this happening in the 1990s in my hometown of Kokomo, Indiana. Kokomo was an auto town. Regular working-class people had good blue-collar jobs with GM and Chrysler. My grandparents came to Kokomo in the 1930s during the Great Depression in search of a better life.  

When I see Mexican autoworkers fighting for a better life for themselves, that’s who I see: my grandparents. The UAW didn’t tell my grandparents “go back to where you came from.” The UAW said “sign your union card, and let’s fight for a better life.” 

In the 1990s, I saw the Kokomo I grew up in begin to disappear. Plants started to close. Families got torn apart. Why? So the automakers could make another dime off the backs of even more exploited workers in other countries. 

The Mexican working class saw the writing on the wall, too. Along with NAFTA, there was a broad push to keep the Mexican working class down. A young Claudia Sheinbaum attended protests, demanding fair trade. At the first minute of 1994, as NAFTA went into effect, an Indigenous uprising showed the world that Mexico’s working people were not fooled by so-called “free trade.” The only people celebrating were the billionaires and their lackeys. 

After thirty years of NAFTA, both Mexican and US autoworkers are worse off. The higher standards and additional jobs we were promised? They never materialized In fact, the exact opposite happened.

When adjusted for inflation, Mexican autoworkers’ average dollar-per-hour wage has in fact decreased significantly. Mexican autoworkers make, right now, a tenth of the wages made by U.S. and Canadian autoworkers, whose real wages have fallen too. 

For the last few years, independent unions at GM Silao, Volkswagen, Audi, Good Year in San Luis Potosi, just to mention a few, have made impressive strides towards consolidating an independent and authentic Mexican labor movement and are fighting like hell to close the wage gap. But the facts speak for themselves. Companies still blacklist union workers. Judges still break up independent unions in Mexico. And corporations still pay poverty wages while raking in billions. 

We cannot wait another thirty years while our communities get destroyed, and our families broken. The UAW has called for an end to the free trade disaster. Because no corporation that makes billions of dollars in profits should pay someone three dollars an hour to give their life to a factory. 

The UAW has called for a North American minimum wage for autoworkers. Because if companies want to compete, it shouldn’t be over how little they can pay their workers, and how badly they can treat us. That’s a race to the bottom. 

The UAW has called for international solidarity among US, Mexican, and Canadian autoworkers. Because the companies are united in their mission to squeeze us for every penny. And we need to be united in our mission to win a dignified life. How do the corporations get away with it? Divide and conquer. They divide US and Mexican autoworkers, and try to get us to fight each other for crumbs, while they walk away with the whole pie. So let me say clearly: the UAW stands with you, our Mexican union family. You, the Mexican autoworker, deserve better. You deserve a living wage, not a poverty wage. You deserve the right to a free, independent union where your voice is heard. You deserve healthcare, a decent retirement, and time to spend with your family.  

Just like American autoworkers. And we will use every tool in the toolbox, from tariffs to renegotiating the USMCA to strikes to political action, to win our fair share, no matter what country you’re in.  

We will support the cause of the Mexican autoworkers, because it is our cause. To win back dignity for the working class of all countries. On this very special May Day we salute you. We commend you. We stand in solidarity with you and all working people everywhere.  

This op-ed ran in La Jornada on April 30, 2025. 

Español

4/30/25 

La Jornada 

A los trabajadores mexicanos de la industria automotriz 

By UAW President Shawn Fain 

Soy un obrero de la industria automotriz. Mis abuelos fueron obreros de la industria automotriz. Crecí en un pueblo de obreros de la industria automotriz llamado Kokomo, Indiana.  

Siendo padre joven, me empleé como electricista en Chrysler. Me afilié a la UAW, el Sindicato del Sector Automotriz, y me cambio la vida. Por ellos aprendí que no importa de donde seas, si trabajas para vivir, tu familia es de clase obrera. 

Por eso hoy, primero de mayo, en el Dia Internacional de los Trabajadores, quiero decir fuerte y claro: el obrero mexicano no es nuestro enemigo. Ustedes son nuestra familia. 

Los obreros de la industria, mexicanos y estadounidenses, trabajamos para las mismas empresas que acumulan decenas de miles de millones de dólares en rentas obtenidas a costa de la clase obrera. Ambos sentimos orgullo por la calidad de nuestro trabajo. Y a ambos nos está jodiendo el desastroso sistema de libre comercio que nos pugna en competencia hacia la precariedad, mientras los multimillonarios se hacen más ricos. 

Yo lo vi en Kokomo en los 90s. Mi pueblo era del sector. Su gente de clase obrera tenía trabajos en GM y Chrysler. Mis abuelos llegaron a Kokomo en los 30s durante la Gran Depresión buscando una vida mejor.  

Cuando veo a los obreros mexicanos luchando por una vida mejor para sí mismos, son a ellos a quienes veo: mis abuelos. La UAW no dijo a mis abuelos “regresen por donde vinieron.” La UAW les dijo “afíliense, luchemos por una vida mejor.” 

En los 90s, vi al Kokomo en el que crecí comenzar a desaparecer. Las fabricas cerraban. Las familias se desintegraban. ¿Por qué? Para que las armadoras pudieran ganar más dinero a costa de obreros aún mas explotados en otros países. 

La clase obrera mexicana también vio las señales. Con el TLCAN llegó un esfuerzo amplio para oprimir más a los obreros mexicanos. Una joven Claudia Sheinbaum acudía a manifestaciones demandando un comercio justo. Al primer minuto de 1994, cuando el TLCAN entraba en vigor, un levantamiento indígena mostró al mundo que los pobres de México no se tragaban el supuesto “libre comercio.” Los únicos celebrando eran los millonarios y sus lacayos. 

Después de 30 años del TLCAN, tanto los obreros de México como de EE. UU. estamos peor. ¿Los altos estándares y empleos adicionales prometidos? Nunca se materializaron. De hecho sucedió exactamente lo opuesto. 

El salario promedio en dólares por hora del obrero mexicano en la industria, ajustado a la inflación, de hecho, ha bajado significativamente. El obrero mexicano gana, en este momento, la décima parte de lo que ganan los obreros de EE. UU. y Canadá, para quienes los salarios reales también han decaído.  

En los últimos años, sindicatos independientes en GM Silao, Volkswagen, Audi, Good Year en San Luis Potosí, por mencionar algunos, han logrado avances impresionantes para consolidar un movimiento sindical independiente y autentico y están dando la batalla para cerrar la brecha salarial.  

Pero los hechos hablan por si mismos. Las empresas aún tienen listas negras de activistas. Los jueces siguen socavando a los sindicatos independientes en México. Y las empresas aun pagan salarios de pobreza mientras acumulan miles de millones. 

No podemos esperar otros 30 años mientras destruyen a nuestras comunidades y desintegran a nuestras familias. 

La UAW ha llamado al fin del desastre del libre comercio. Porque ninguna empresa que hace miles de millones en ganancias debería pagar tres dólares la hora por dejar la vida en una fábrica.  

La UAW ha llamado a establecer un salario mínimo norteamericano para la industria. Porque si las compañías quieren competir, no debería ser sobre quien puede pagar menos. Eso es competir hacia la precariedad.  

La UAW ha llamado a la solidaridad internacional de los obreros automotrices de EE. UU., México y Canadá. Porque las compañías están unidas en su misión de exprimirnos por cada centavo. Y debemos estar unidos en nuestra misión de ganar una vida digna.  

¿Por qué las empresas se salen con la suya? Divide y vencerás.  

Ellos nos dividen a los trabajadores automotrices de EE. UU. y México, y pretenden hacernos pelear por migajas mientras ellos se llevan todo el pastel. 

Por eso déjenme decirles claramente: la UAW está con ustedes, nuestra familia sindical mexicana.  

Ustedes, obreros automotrices mexicanos, merecen algo mejor. 

Ustedes merecen un salario digno y no uno de pobreza. 

Ustedes merecen el derecho a un sindicato libre e independiente donde su voz se escuche. 

Ustedes merecen salud, pensión digna y tiempo para la familia. 

Lo mismo que los obreros de EEUU. Y usaremos cada herramienta en el armario, desde aranceles hasta la renegociacion del T-MEC, hasta la huelga, hasta la accion politica, para ganar lo que justamente nos corresponde, sin importar en que pais estén.  

Apoyaremos la causa de los obreros mexicanos, porque es nuestra causa. Hasta ganar la dignidad de la clase obrera en todos los paises. 

En este muy especial primero de mayo, les saludamos. Les felicitamos. Nos declaramos en solidaridad con ustedes y con la clase obrera del mundo.  

*Presidente Internacional de los Trabajadores de los Sectores Automotriz, Aeroespacial, e Implementos de Agricultura Unidos de Norteamérica, UAW.  

This op-ed ran in La Jornada on April 30, 2025. 

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Statement from UAW VP Chuck Browning on Hazardous Conditions at BlueOval SK

In response to this week’s Louisville Courier-Journal story “Chemicals, mold, bats, broken bones: Workers concerned over safety at BlueOval SK plant,” Chuck Browning, UAW Vice President and Director of the Ford Department, issued the following statement:

“The recent reporting on the dangerous conditions at BOSK is infuriating. Workers are being put at risk every single day. Every person in this country should be able to go to work and know they’ll make it home safe—not get sick or injured because of corporate greed or negligence.

Ford should know better. For over 80 years, Ford workers have had a union and a voice. But now, Ford is running an extreme anti-union campaign at BOSK to keep these workers down. It’s shameful.

These workers are demanding what they’ve earned: a real say in their working conditions, especially when it comes to health and safety. Ford, cut the crap. Let them vote.”

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UAW Statement on Mexico’s SINTTIA Organizing Drive at GM San Luis Potosí

The right to have a voice on the job—to shape your future, your working conditions, and your livelihood—is a basic human right. That right includes the freedom to form and join a union, free from coercion or interference. The UAW stands in solidarity with SINTTIA and the workers at General Motors’ San Luis Potosí plant as they exercise that fundamental right.

We applaud SINTTIA’s official filing to represent GM employees in San Luis Potosí, validated by the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registry. Since the previous union failed to legitimize its contract under Mexico’s 2019 labor reform, this plant has been without union representation. SINTTIA’s leadership offers a real opportunity to restore democratic representation and win meaningful improvements for autoworkers.

SINTTIA’s record in Silao—where it won double-digit raises and inspired gains across GM Mexico—shows the power of independent unionism. But that power is now under threat. We are alarmed by credible reports of GM management colluding with a protection union to block SINTTIA, including misuse of personal data and illegal on-the-job campaigning.

These violations of labor rights and USMCA trade rules must not stand. The UAW calls on all allies to support SINTTIA and defend the workers’ right to choose.

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UAW Applauds MI House Dems for “Putting Workers First” Bills, Urges Full Legislature to Pick a Side

LANSING, MI – The UAW today applauded Michigan House Democrats for introducing a bold workers’ rights ‘May Day’ legislative package, honoring International Workers’ Day and re-committing to fight for working-class Michiganders.

“For too long, corporations have hoarded the wealth the working class creates,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Michigan House Democrats are taking a step forward in fighting for workers with long-overdue protections against corporate greed. Every lawmaker in the state needs to pick a side: the corporate class or the working class.”

The UAW, representing over 300,000 active and retired members in Michigan, has been pushing since last year’s lame-duck session for real action to deliver for workers.

Among the bills introduced is legislation targeting “captive audience meetings,” where employers force workers to attend anti-union propaganda sessions during organizing drives. Since 2023, the UAW can cite over a dozen companies in southeast Michigan that have forced workers that are organizing into captive audience meetings — including Webasto’s $1.3 million union-busting campaign — showing just how badly reform is needed.

“Politicians love to visit union halls during election season. But the real test is what you do once you’re in office,” Fain said. “We thank the elected officials who stepped up this May Day — and we loudly call on the rest of the Michigan Legislature and Governor Whitmer to pick a side: join the labor movement and back the Putting Workers First legislative package.”

“It’s great to see legislators in the Michigan House standing up for working people by introducing this package of bills on May Day,” said Jason Peek, a member of UAW Local 602. “One of the bills would make sure bosses can’t just fire someone without a good reason. Right now, in Michigan, non-union workers can be let go for no reason at all. I’ve got this protection in my union contract, and I really believe every worker should have that same basic fairness.”

“May Day 2025 means we are three years from May Day 2028, where a lot of our contracts, including at the Big Three, are lined up to expire,” said UAW Local 228 member JJ Jewell. “We want to be able to exercise the power of a strike, if we must, without companies bringing in scabs. That’s why we need a bill like the one in this package that would ban so-called ‘replacement workers’ in Michigan.”

Earlier this year, the UAW laid out its legislative priorities for Lansing, including:

  • Guaranteeing strong wages and labor protections for all workers;
  • Strengthening health care access and affordability;
  • Enhancing retirement security so every worker can retire with dignity;
  • Promoting work-life balance to allow workers to lead full, healthy lives.

The UAW will continue to mobilize members to fight for these priorities — and for a legislature that stands with workers, not corporate interests.

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UAW Members Strike at Lockheed Martin, as Company Announces $1.7 Billion in First Quarter Profits

Detroit, MI – After months of negotiations, over 900 UAW members in Orlando, FL (Local 788) and Denver, CO (Local 766) have walked out on strike at Lockheed Martin, after the company committed multiple unfair labor practices and refused to present a fair economic proposal that meets the membership’s needs.

The strike begins during a time of record taxpayer-funded profits for the U.S. government’s largest defense contractor. Lockheed Martin made $24 billion in profit and paid its CEO $66 million over the last three years. Profits were up the first quarter of 2025, with Lockheed taking in another $1.7 billion. These mind-boggling profits aren’t going anywhere: the Trump administration is positioned to deliver a more than $1 trillion defense budget in 2025.

While Lockheed rakes in billions in taxpayer dollars, they are refusing to deal adequately with the union’s main demands. Under their latest offer, workers at Lockheed would work between 16 and 23 years to reach top rate for most pay classifications. Over 80% of the UAW workforce would remain in an unfair, extremely long pay progression. Even worse, the company is proposing a measly starting rate of $15 per hour. Lockheed is also refusing to recognize Veterans Day as a holiday, an insult to all UAW members who have proudly served this country.

“Lockheed’s workers have to wait years and even decades before seeing a comfortable standard of living, while its executives are swimming in taxpayer dollars,” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell. “Lockheed is a textbook example of corporate greed and I’m proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our members as they fight for their fair share.”

“UAW members at Lockheed Martin voted 99.3% in favor of authorizing a strike” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “We are standing together in solidarity and we will have each other’s backs until we get a fair contract. Who are we? UAW!”

The striking Lockheed Martin workers are not the only UAW members in the defense sector standing up to billionaire class greed. Thousands of UAW marine drafters in Groton, CT are fighting for a fair contract, while General Dynamics, like Lockheed, makes billions from government contracts.

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