Tag Archive for: Freightliner

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UAW President Shawn Fain and Hundreds of Workers Kicking Off Daimler Truck Contract Talks Tuesday with Livestreamed Rally

STATESVILLE, N.C. — On Tuesday, April 2, UAW President Shawn Fain will rally in North Carolina with Daimler Truck workers as contract negotiations covering 7,000 UAW members get underway. The workers are demanding an agreement that includes the long overdue fair wages and working conditions they deserve.

Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET rally will be livestreamed at the UAW’s Facebook page. It can also be viewed at the UAW’s YouTube Channel. (Media are invited to use the footage.)

Bargaining with Daimler Truck management begins on Tuesday morning and the workers’ contract expires on April 26. Fain and UAW members at Daimler are standing up and speaking out against the workers’ unfair pay and worsening working conditions.

The workers who build Freightliner trucks, Western Star trucks, and Thomas Built Buses are facing declining real wages and job security even as Daimler Truck tallies record profits and makes massive payouts to shareholders. Over the past six years, Daimler’s profits have increased by 90% while workers’ buying power has fallen 13%.

Tuesday’s rally with Fain comes just weeks after 7,000 Daimler Truck North America workers voted by 96% to authorize a strike if necessary. This overwhelming support shows the workers are determined to secure the record contract they’ve earned.

On the heels of the UAW’s historic Stand Up Strike and record contracts with the Big Three automakers, and as tens of thousands of workers across the country continue organizing to join the UAW, Fain will stand with Daimler workers in their fight for fair pay, cost of living adjustments (COLA), job security and a better future for working families. 

WHAT:   
UAW President Shawn Fain to Rally with Hundreds of Daimler Truck Workers as Contract Talks Begin

WHEN:   
Tuesday, April 2, at 6 p.m. ET 
*Press should arrive by 5:45 p.m. ET

WHERE:  
UAW Local 3520
2290 Salisbury Hwy.
Statesville, NC 28677 

WHO:    
UAW President Shawn Fain 
UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith
UAW Local 3520 President Corey Hill 
UAW Local 5285 President Ricky McDowell 
North Carolina State AFL-CIO President MaryBe McMillan
Daimler Truck workers and Allies

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Nearly 7,000 UAW Members at Daimler Truck Vote to Authorize Strike, If Necessary

On Friday, March 8th, 7,000 Daimler Truck North America workers voted by a resounding 96% to authorize a strike if necessary. The contract covers 7,000 parts and assembly workers in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, and expires on April 26th.

The workers who build Freightliner trucks, Western Star trucks, and Thomas Built Buses are facing declining real wages and job security against a backdrop of rising cost of living and massive profits and shareholder payouts by Daimler Truck.

In a video released by the UAW last week, Daimler workers spoke out on the declining standards at the company that have led to their willingness to stand up and fight for better wages, benefits, and job security.

Daimler amassed nearly $6 billion in 2023. In addition, the company plans to spend billions of dollars on stock buybacks over the next two years while lavishing millions of dollars on its shareholders. In a recent interview, Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum boasted that the company’s profits are “red hot” and claimed that any “leftover money certainly belongs” to the company’s stockholders. Daum received over $7.5 million in total compensation last year alone.

Daimler workers are the latest UAW members standing up to corporate greed. Thousands of UAW members have won record contracts in the last year, including autoworkers at the Big Three automakers, and Allison Transmission workers in Indianapolis, IN.

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“Not Like It Used To Be”: Daimler Truck Workers Gear Up For Historic Contract Fight

The nearly 7,000 UAW members who build Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Thomas Built Buses for Daimler Truck North America are gearing up for a historic contract fight. The current contract expires at 12:01 am on Friday, April 26, and covers thousands of workers at six facilities in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

In a new video, “Not Like It Used to Be,” workers speak out on the declining standards at Daimler Truck, and their fight for fair pay, cost of living adjustments (COLA), job security, and more.

The video announcing the campaign can be accessed here and the media is invited to use the footage.

“When I first started here, I only needed to work one job. Now you need to work two jobs in order to make ends meet,” said Clavonne Davis, a worker at the Daimler plant in Cleveland, NC. “It is our time to fight. It is our time to stand up and fight for what we deserve.”

“We signed this contract six years ago,” said Freightliner worker Derek Smith. “In the last six years, things have changed in our economy. Inflation has gone through the roof. Groceries are more expensive. Eating out is a luxury.”

“We insist on living wages for everyone. We insist on affordable and accessible health care benefits,” said Thomas Built Buses worker, Jennifer Moore.

Daimler 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. Earlier this year, workers at Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN, won a historic contract agreement by posing a credible strike threat.

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