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Breaking: Union Drive for Volkswagen Workers Goes National As New Jersey VW Workers File to Join UAW

Cranbury, NJ – The push to unionize Volkswagen has gone national, as VW autoworkers at a large distribution center in New Jersey have reached supermajority support and just became the first VW workers on the East Coast to file to unionize with the UAW. They join more than 4,000 VW workers in Chattanooga, TN, who won their union with UAW nearly a year ago. The New Jersey facility is now VW’s second in the country to organize with the UAW in the past 12 months.

“Every autoworker in America deserves a union,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Volkswagen workers made history in Chattanooga last April, and now, New Jersey VW workers are stepping up. We won’t stop until every autoworker who wants a union has one.”

“We saw what was going on at the Big Three, and then Volkswagen workers in Tennessee won their union despite pushback from management,” said Sergio Sumano Jr, a warehouse worker with 7 years at the Volkswagen PDC/RDC in New Jersey. “Now, it’s our turn. We deserve fair pay, affordable benefits, and a secure retirement – just like every other unionized autoworker in the U.S. If Volkswagen wants to operate in America, they need to treat us with the same dignity as their workers overseas.”

“Operating in New Jersey means operating with full respect for labor law and the rights of working people,” said Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), who represents the congressional district in New Jersey where the VW workers filed and many are constituents.  “I’m proud to stand with the inspiring New Jersey Volkswagen workers unionizing with UAW and telling corporate power that working people will not be brought to heel.”

“Volkswagen has been getting away with exploiting their U.S. workers for far too long,” said UAW Region 9 Director Dan Vicente. “It’s clear the balance of power is shifting. Autoworkers across the country witnessed workers demanding their due during the Stand Up Strike. When they see what can be won when we unite together, anything is possible.”

After winning their union on April 19, 2024, VW workers in Chattanooga are now fighting for a first agreement that reflects unionized auto manufacturing standards in the U.S. as well as the company’s record-breaking profits. Volkswagen lags behind its competitors in wages and benefits and treats its U.S. workers worse than its foreign workforce. With the one-year anniversary of the workers’ union win approaching, pressure is mounting at the bargaining table.

“Volkswagen racked up $24.4 billion in profits in 2023 by paying their large U.S. workforce poverty wages with shameful workplace benefits and conditions,” said Steve Cochran, a UAW member and 14 year skilled trades worker at Volkswagen Chattanooga. “Volkswagen must be held to account for failing for decades to provide good jobs for U.S. workers, and the only way that’s going to happen will be by workers in VW, Tennessee, and elsewhere standing together to take action and demand better. Since we won our union, we’ve won key protections at work including the right to have a voice on the issues that matter most – and now we’re working to negotiate a historic first contract that will finally give Volkswagen workers in the South the same good union standards workers have won at Stellantis, GM, and Ford.”

Volkswagen PDC and RDC workers in New Jersey distribute aftermarket parts across the country. They will be the first Volkswagen distribution workers to join UAW; in Tennessee, the Volkswagen workers assemble cars inside auto plants. Regardless of location, job, or employer, UAW members welcome all Volkswagen and other non-union workers across the country to join the fight for economic and social justice, in the auto industry and beyond.

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UAW Reaches Tentative Agreement with Rolls-Royce

Indianapolis — The UAW has reached a groundbreaking tentative agreement with Rolls-Royce ahead of the contract’s expiration at midnight on Wednesday, February 26. This agreement follows a major rally the day prior and the escalation of a credible strike threat against the world’s second-largest manufacturer of aircraft engines.

The five-year agreement, covering more than 800 workers in Indianapolis, delivers significant economic gains, including the elimination of wage tiers, double-digit wage increases, a true profit-sharing plan that the company cannot manipulate arbitrarily, improved retirement benefits, and a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) that will now be rolled into base pay for all workers.

In a direct address to membership, UAW President Shawn Fain outlined key parts of the deal and reflected on the tenacity of the Rolls-Royce membership and bargaining committee.

To view President Fain’s remarks in full, head to UAW’s Facebook page, and read Fain’s prepared remarks below. The media is invited to use these materials.
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UAW President Shawn Fain Prepared Remarks on Rolls-Royce Negotiations, February 26, 2025

For months, the Local 933 bargaining team has been hard at work, negotiating to win a contract for our members that truly represents the massive profits they make for this company.

Our members at Rolls-Royce do incredibly important work.

The company is the second largest manufacturer of aircraft engines in the world, and the facility here in Indianapolis produces aircraft engines for our nation’s military.

Our members are proud of the work they do, and it’s their blood, sweat, and tears that make Rolls-Royce’s billions in profits possible.

I’m proud to stand here today with this bargaining team and Region 2B Director Dave Green to announce to our membership that we have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and sacrifices made by our members.

So, let’s take a look at what’s in the TA. First: We are ending wage tiers at Rolls-Royce!

For the lowest tier — Tier 4 — you are going to see an $18.79 raise over the life of this agreement. That’s a raise of 68%.

That’s a life changing wage increase.

For Tier 2, they will immediately be brought to the legacy rate.

At the beginning of the final year of the contract, ALL PRODUCTION WORKERS at Rolls-Royce will be making a top wage of $46.37 an hour. And that does NOT include COLA.

Similarly, At the beginning of the final year of the contract, skilled trades will be making over $50 an hour.

Next, I want to talk about COLA.

Rolls-Royce has a big COLA. But not everyone gets it, and nobody gets it folded into their base pay.

This means that our wages don’t necessarily keep up with inflation over time. It also means that when workers get a raise, it doesn’t include the COLA.

With this agreement, EVERYONE gets COLA, with the same strong formula we’ve had previously.

And everyone will get COLA folded into their base pay.

We also are seeing healthy general wage increases, more than twice as high as the previous contract.

We told the company, we needed wage increases in EVERY year of the agreement.

At the new UAW, we will no longer accept lump sum bonuses in the place of wage increases which increase our lifetime earnings.

That’s how you raise the standard of living for the working class. That’s what we deserve and we aren’t going to accept anything less.

I’m also excited to announce that we won back true profit sharing at Rolls Royce.

For years, Rolls-Royce has been giving out a bonus that they called profit share, but that bonus was based on a formula that wasn’t transparent and that management could change on a whim.

Now we are back to a profit sharing formula based on the company’s publicly shared profit margins. That’s the same way we do it at the Big Three.

Our new profit sharing formula means the company can’t lie, they can’t hide, and it means that Rolls-Royce members are going to earn on average thousands of more dollars than they have in the past.

We worked hard to get more vacation for our members.

Some workers in the middle of their career are going to see an additional two days of vacation. Workers with four years or less are going to receive an ENTIRE additional week of vacation.

One of the biggest and thorniest issues in bargaining was retirement.

For legacy workers, we are excited to announce that we successfully increased the monthly Basic benefit rate from $60.94 to $65 per year of credited service.

That’s a bigger increase to the monthly Basic benefit rate than the last two contracts combined. It’s the biggest increase in twenty years.

For those with a 401(k), we raised the company match from 5% to 7% while keeping the additional 3% company contribution.

There is so much more that was won in this contract, but these are just a few of the highlights that we were excited to share with you tonight.

While the bargaining team behind me are extremely proud of this TA and all of the work that it took to win it, we know that, ultimately, this decision is up to our members and our members alone.

The membership is always the highest authority in the UAW.

In the coming days, Local 933 will be rolling out highlighters and sharing the TA’d language and holding roll-out meetings where members will be able to ask our bargaining team any questions they have before they vote on whether to ratify this agreement.

I want to close by saying this bargaining team has worked their assess off for the membership.

They stood up to the company and demanded a historic agreement and I’m proud to say that is exactly what they won.

Following the success of the Stand Up Strike at the Big Three, we have seen UAW members win massive gains in historic agreements at Allison Transmission, Daimler Trucks, Cornell University, and now here at Rolls-Royce.

And all of those victories were made possible by the membership. Winning strong agreements is only possible when our members are organized and united.

It only happens when the company looks over the shoulder of our bargaining team and sees an army of fired up and fed up members who are ready to do what it takes to win what they deserve.

That is exactly what happened here this week when hundreds of members showed up to rally in support of their bargaining team and show the company that they were ready to strike if needed.

I’m so proud of my UAW family and I’m incredibly honored to be back home again in Indiana, the home of Local 933 to celebrate this massive victory.

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UAW President Shawn Fain & Rolls-Royce Bargaining Committee to Announce Major Update Ahead of Midnight Contract Expiration at Rolls-Royce Plant

Indianapolis, IN — At 10 pm on Wednesday, February 26, UAW President Shawn Fain will provide an update on negotiations between UAW Local 933 members and Rolls-Royce. The current contract covering more than 800 workers at the company’s Indianapolis facility, which manufactures aircraft engines for U.S. government contracts, expires at midnight.

With tensions growing, workers are demanding equal pay for equal work, cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for all employees, and better retirement benefits. The negotiations come as Rolls-Royce posts record profits. The company reported $2 billion in profits for 2023, a staggering 144% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, the CEO’s compensation soared to $16.9 million, a 255% jump. About 30% of Rolls-Royce’s revenue is generated from the U.S. market.

On February 13, UAW members at Rolls-Royce voted overwhelmingly, with 99.5% support and 86% participation, to authorize a strike if necessary. The strong backing reflects the workers’ resolve to secure a fair contract amid Rolls-Royce’s record profits.

With major recent victories at the Big Three automakers and Daimler Truck, Rolls-Royce workers are now joining other UAW members in the “stand up movement” to fight against corporate greed. Currently, more than 4,000 UAW members at Volkswagen are pushing for their first contract in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after forming their union last April.

WHAT: UAW President Shawn Fain will provide an update on negotiations with Rolls-Royce on Facebook Live.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 26 at 10:00pm ET

WHERE: https://www.youtube.com/uaw

WHO: UAW President Shawn Fain, Rolls-Royce UAW Local 933 Bargaining Committee

*RSVP to https://uaw.org/press/questions/ to receive latest updates.

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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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UAW Members at Rolls-Royce Vote to Authorize Strike

INDIANAOPOLIS, IN — On Thursday, February 13, UAW members at Rolls-Royce voted by a resounding 99.5% to authorize a strike, if necessary, with 86% of the membership participating in the vote. The Indianapolis Rolls-Royce complex employs more than 800 UAW members and is the primary Rolls-Royce facility making aircraft engines for U.S. government contracts.

“This vote proves the UAW members at Rolls-Royce are fed up, united, and ready to win the fair contract they deserve,” said David Green, UAW Region 2B Director. “Our members are proud to build aircraft engines for our nation’s military, but it’s time for them to be treated with the same respect they bring to work every single day.”

The current contract expires on February 26, 2025. Contract negotiations are taking place during a period of profitability for Rolls-Royce. The company saw $2 billion in profits in 2023, up 144% over the previous year. Rolls-Royce’s CEO received $16.9 million in compensation that same year, a 255% increase compared to 2022. Around 30% of the company’s revenue comes from the U.S. market.

“UAW members at Rolls-Royce are standing up for the things that all workers deserve: fair pay, decent healthcare, retirement security, and equal treatment”, said John Snow, the Bargaining Chair at Rolls-Royce. “Newer workers at Rolls-Royce pay up to $16,000 just to provide healthcare to their families. Workers deserve equal pay and benefits for equal work.”

Rolls-Royce workers join other UAW members standing up to corporate greed. Currently, more than 4,000 members at Volkswagen are campaigning for a first contract in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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UAW Blasts Reckless National Institute of Health Cuts: A Direct Attack on Jobs, Innovation, and Life-Saving Research

The Trump administration’s decision to slash NIH funding is a gut punch to scientific progress, economic growth, and the fight against deadly diseases. Cutting research on cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s isn’t “efficient”—it’s economically reckless and inhumane. These cuts will shut down promising medical breakthroughs, slam the brakes on clinical trials, destroy jobs, and gut university research programs where thousands of UAW members across the country work every day to advance life-saving discoveries.

Trump claims this will “save money,” but the truth is every NIH dollar invested in research generates two and a half times its value in economic activity. Gutting NIH funding is not savings—it’s sabotage. UAW is participating in legal efforts that have resulted in a Temporary Restraining Order issued on February 10 that blocked these cuts from going into effect. To ensure these cuts are reversed, UAW demands immediate action from Congress before they wreak havoc on the working class, scientific innovation, and the future of public health.

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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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Higher Wages, Affordable Health Care, Retirement Security: Volkswagen Chattanooga Workers Lay Out First Contract Demands in New Series of Videos from the UAW

CHATTANOOGA – Today, the UAW released a new video featuring members at Volkswagen Chattanooga who are negotiating their first union contract with the German automaker. The video, titled “Higher Wages,” is the latest installment in an ongoing video series highlighting the members’ key contract demands.

Determined to raise standards and improve conditions at their plant, the 4,000 UAW members at Volkswagen are fighting for a first agreement that reflects unionized auto manufacturing standards in the U.S. as well as the company’s record-breaking profits. In 2023 alone, Volkswagen reported $24.4 billion in earnings. Workers are demanding a contract that includes better wages, stronger benefits, and protections comparable to those won by U.S. unionized auto workers. The latest bargaining update and a chart comparing the current VW proposal with contracts at the Big Three can be accessed here.

Building on the momentum of their historic union victory, the members, along with the 20-person bargaining committee, are working to secure comprehensive contract language that delivers real gains and ends the era of exploitation that Volkswagen has maintained since opening the plant in 2011.

Beyond higher wages and affordable health care, members are bargaining over a broad set of workplace issues, including stronger safety standards, fair scheduling policies, paid leave, protections against unjust discipline, and a meaningful voice in workplace decision-making. Their goal is to ensure that every aspect of their working conditions is fair and rewards their hard work.  

The video series can be accessed here.

“The fact that the shareholders made $12.7 billion last year and 34% of that goes to one family. And I’m just trying to afford groceries and my bills at the same time,” explains VW Bargaining Committee member Caleb Michalski. “I’ve never had a desire to be rich. I just want to be able to provide for my family and do normal American Dream stuff. That’s it.”

“Pay? We should be making more than what we’re making,” says VW Assembly Logistics worker Letonja Berry. “We not asking for nothing that they don’t have. We all know that it’s corporate greed.”

“I have three kids,” describes Bargaining Committee member Billy Quigg in another video about health care. “Is their care covered? Am I at the right doctor? How is that going to impact me financially? I should never have to worry about that. I work for the world’s largest auto manufacturer.”

“For me, at my age, it’s making sure you’re taken care of after you leave Volkswagen,” says Bargaining Committee member Vicky Holloway in a video about retirement. “Making sure there is life after Volkswagen.”

The list of video demands available from Volkswagen Chattanooga workers includes:

  • Higher Wages
  • Health Care
  • Retirement
  • Health & Safety
  • Wages
  • Fair Attendance & PTO

One of the most urgent concerns raised by workers is the lack of affordable health insurance. Unlike UAW autoworkers across the country, including in the south, who have won fully paid family health care with low out-of-pocket copays, VW’s employee health insurance is not meeting the needs of Chattanooga workers and their families.

In recent weeks, members have been engaging in one-on-one conversations with coworkers to complete a health care needs assessment. Again and again, coworkers share stories of financial hardship and even bankruptcy when accessing basic, necessary medical care. Some chose to opt out because VW insurance is not affordable.

Bargaining with Volkswagen kicked off last September, and the members say they’re still far apart on fundamental demands such as wages and health care and want to see management step up and address their concerns in their future proposals. The latest bargaining update and comparison chart can be accessed here.

The UAW bargaining committee is taking action to engage the membership. In conversations at the gates and in informational meetings, they’re hearing from their coworkers: we should not settle for anything less than a fair contract that reflects the true value of our labor – and we’re preparing to do what it takes to get what we’re due.

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“INVEST IN US”: UAW Slams Stellantis for Preparing Massive Pay Day for Wall Street While Thousands of Workers are Laid Off in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Beyond

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