Tag Archive for: General Motors

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UAW Vice President Ryan Hiestand Statement on Toxic Spill in Toledo

In light of the serious event in Toledo, the UAW-GM department stands with the UAW family and Toledo community. Local 14 was conducting testing and it was determined that the air quality was safe to continue production. We are continuing to monitor the situation and will respond quickly if the situation becomes unsafe. Our members’ safety is our highest priority, and our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected.

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Statement from UAW President Shawn Fain on Corporate Greed at GM

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This morning, GM announced the largest stock buyback in US automaker history. The company is planning to give another $20 billion in profits to Wall Street while tens of thousands of autoworkers have no retirement security, while plants sit under-utilized, and while the global auto industry overtakes GM. This company has spent $30 billion on stock buybacks and dividends in the past 5 years alone, while kicking and screaming about costs during our 2023 negotiations. We will remember when we are back at the bargaining table in 2028.

Let’s be clear about what stock buybacks really are. They are a form of legalized mass looting, sending billions of dollars generated by the working class directly to Wall Street investors who’ve never seen the inside of a factory.

Why don’t 80 percent of GM’s autoworkers have a pension and retirement healthcare, as they did for half a century? Because someone on Wall Street is collecting their pension check in the form of a goddamn stock buyback. Why is GM nickel and diming their retirees while lavishing shareholders with billions? Because this company has sold its soul to Wall Street.

Who benefits? The majority of stocks in this country are held by the wealthiest one percent. Who’s the largest individual shareholder at GM? CEO Mary Barra, who made $48 million in 2025, a 60 percent raise in a year.  And just five Wall Street firms — companies like Blackrock and State Street — will get nearly $7 billion out of this scam.

Corporate America is destroying this country by looting the rust belt to pay off millionaires and billionaires for short term gain, while our factories sit empty and our working class falls further behind. GM hasn’t built a new plant in this country in 20 years. When GM is spending $20 billion buying back their own stock but only half that investing in factories, equipment, and productive capacity, they are choosing Wall Street profits over blue collar America.

When we bargained our UAW contract with GM in 2023, the media and the company acted like it was the end of the world for autoworkers to get a raise. But there’s always tens of billions of dollars for Wall Street. So when we return to the bargaining table with GM in 2028, I want the American public, the American politicians, and the American autoworker to remember this day. If there’s $20 billion for Wall Street, you better believe there’s our fair share for the working class.

🚨 DECLARACIÓN DEL PRESIDENTE DE LA UAW, SHAWN FAIN, SOBRE LA CODICIA CORPORATIVA EN GM 🚨

Esta mañana, GM anunció la mayor recompra de acciones de la historia de la industria automotriz estadounidense. La empresa planea destinar otros 20,000 millones de dólares de sus ganancias a Wall Street, mientras decenas de miles de trabajadores del sector carecen de seguridad para su jubilación, las plantas operan muy por debajo de su capacidad y la industria automotriz mundial supera a GM. Solo en los últimos cinco años, esta compañía ha gastado 30,000 millones de dólares en recompras de acciones y dividendos, a pesar de que durante nuestras negociaciones de 2023 se quejaron amargamente de los costos. Lo tendremos presente cuando volvamos a la mesa de negociación en 2028.

Seamos claros sobre lo que realmente son las recompras de acciones: se trata de una forma de saqueo masivo legalizado, que transfiere miles de millones de dólares —generados por la clase trabajadora— directamente a inversionistas de Wall Street que jamás han pisado una fábrica.

¿Por qué el 80 por ciento de los trabajadores de GM carece de pensión y de cobertura médica para su jubilación, como lo tuvieron durante medio siglo? Porque alguien en Wall Street está cobrando su pensión bajo la forma de una maldita recompra de acciones. ¿Por qué GM escatima recursos a sus jubilados mientras colma a sus accionistas con miles de millones? Porque esta empresa ha vendido su alma a Wall Street.

¿Quién se beneficia? La mayor parte de las acciones en este país está en manos del 1% más rico. ¿Quién es la mayor accionista individual de GM? La directora ejecutiva, Mary Barra, quien ganó 48 millones de dólares en 2025, lo que supone un aumento del 60 por ciento en un solo año. Además, apenas cinco firmas de Wall Street —como BlackRock y State Street— obtendrán cerca de 7,000 millones de dólares gracias a esta estafa.

El sector corporativo estadounidense está destruyendo este país al saquear el cinturón industrial (“Rust Belt”) para enriquecer a millonarios y multimillonarios en busca de ganancias a corto plazo, mientras nuestras fábricas permanecen vacías y nuestra clase trabajadora se queda cada vez más rezagada. GM no ha construido una sola planta nueva en este país en los últimos 20 años. Cuando GM destina 20 000 millones de dólares a la recompra de sus propias acciones, pero invierte solo la mitad de esa cantidad en fábricas, equipamiento y capacidad productiva, prioriza los beneficios de Wall Street por encima de los trabajadores industriales de Estados Unidos.

Cuando nosotros en la UAW negociamos nuestro contrato con GM en 2023, tanto los medios de comunicación como la empresa actuaron como si el hecho de que los trabajadores del sector automotriz recibieran un aumento salarial fuera el fin del mundo. Sin embargo, siempre hay decenas de miles de millones de dólares disponibles para Wall Street. Por eso, cuando volvamos a la mesa de negociación con GM en 2028, quiero que el público estadounidense, los políticos de este país y los trabajadores del sector automotriz recuerden este día. Si hay 20,000 millones de dólares para Wall Street, pueden estar seguros de que también existe la parte que le corresponde a la clase trabajadora.

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NEW VIDEO: UAW Members at American Axle Lay Out Demands ahead of Contract Expiration

Today, with negotiations starting later this month, UAW Local 2093 members at American Axle & Manufacturing (also known as Dauch Corporation) released a video laying out demands ahead of their contract expiration on May 31.

The video can be accessed and used by the media here.

In 2008, workers at American Axle took major concessions to save the facility from closure during the Great Recession. Workers are still making up lost ground from the past 18 years.

“I took a $14 an hour pay cut,” states American Axle worker Jason Buchanan in the UAW’s video released today. Many long-time workers who were making as much as $29 an hour in 2008 saw their wages cut to $14.50. Today, wages at American Axle currently top out at $22 an hour, after a five-year progression, with inflation-adjusted wages cut in half from their pre-2008 levels.

“On May 31st, our contract expires. And we expect a deal that recognizes our value. Our sacrifice. And our fair share.”

As a Tier 1 parts supplier to General Motors, American Axle has generated $2.9 billion in profits since 2022. Over that time, the company’s CEO has been paid $47.9 million, with the top five executives receiving nearly $100 million in compensation. Meanwhile, UAW members working at the Three Rivers plant struggle to afford basic needs, with some even forced to sleep in their cars.

“In 2026, it’s time to make things right at American Axle,” workers explain. “We did what we had to do to save the company. Now it’s time for the company to do what they have to do.”

Influenced by the success of the UAW’s 2023 Stand Up Strike at Ford, GM, and Stellantis, American Axle workers are ready to make up for nearly two decades of lost wages and benefits. Members’ demands include: no concessions, fairer wages and profit sharing, better health care, stronger retirement, and job security.

The full transcript from the video released by UAW Local 2093 members at American Axle can be found below:

When autoworkers saved the auto industry in 2008, it wasn’t just at the Big Three.
Here at American Axle,
We sacrificed everything.
Wages cut in half.
“I took a $14 an hour pay cut.”
Pensions frozen.
“I lost my house.”
Hundreds of jobs lost.
“I lost my healthcare.”
Plants closed.
And 18 years later
American Axle is doing great.
So why aren’t we?
On May 31st, our contract expires.
And we expect a deal that recognizes our value. Our sacrifice. And our fair share.
We supply the axels and parts that make companies like General Motors billions of dollars.
We saved this company when they were on the ropes.
American Axle made $1.6 billion in the past ten years.
The CEO got paid over $100 million dollars.
And we got screwed.
Twenty years ago, American Axle workers were making almost 30 bucks an hour.
Now we’ve got workers sleeping in their cars.
Our pensions are frozen.
Our profit-sharing is a slap in the face.
In 2026,
It’s time to make things right at American Axle
We did what we had to do to save the company.
Now it’s time for the company to do what they have to do.
We demand.
A living wage.
We demand.
Job security.
We demand.
To make things right.
We are American Axle.
And we are coming for our fair share.

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Autoworkers Score Major Victory in Tennessee as GM Announces $4 Billion Reinvestment in U.S. Plants

Spring Hill, TN – In a historic move signaling a shift in the American auto industry, General Motors announced a $4 billion reinvestment across three U.S. plants—including a major investment in its Spring Hill facility in Tennessee. The move brings thousands of good union jobs back to the South and underscores the rising power of autoworkers in a region long written off by corporate America.

“This is a big deal for Spring Hill,” said UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “For decades, corporations offshored jobs and left blue-collar communities behind. But now, because of worker organizing and fair-trade policies like auto tariffs, GM is finally putting money back where it belongs—in union plants, with American workers.”

The UAW has long called for an end to the unfair trade practices that allowed automakers to offshore U.S. jobs, slash wages, and shutter dozens of once-thriving plants. More than 2 million vehicles a year have disappeared from American production lines over the last decade, while factories across Mexico and low-wage regions flourished under an exploitative trade system.

“Southern workers have always had the skill, the pride, and the fight—it’s just the companies that needed to end their race to the bottom,” said UAW Local 1853 President John Rutherford. “This investment in Spring Hill will mean more people with access to great wages and benefits and the protections of a union contract.”

Spring Hill is already home to a growing UAW membership, and workers there played a key role in last year’s Stand Up Strike, which won historic gains in wages and job security.

“Spring Hill has always delivered,” said UAW Local 1853 Chairman Jason Spain. “Now we’re getting the chance to use our extra capacity to build even more. The Blazer’s coming to Spring Hill, and we’re fired up to get to work.”

The UAW continues to call for a broader industrial strategy that includes strong trade protections, enforceable labor standards across borders, and an end to Wall Street-driven profit hoarding. The union’s demands include:

  • Tariffs on imported vehicles and parts to prevent job offshoring.
  • A renegotiated USMCA with a North American minimum wage and enforceable labor rights.
  • Reshoring of the parts supply chain and domestic manufacturing investment.
  • A ban on stock buybacks and greater reinvestment in American workers.

The UAW leaders say this investment by GM is a step in the right direction—but there’s much more work to do. To truly end the race to the bottom, we need enforceable protections for workers both in the U.S. and abroad. That means real rights on the job, the freedom to assemble and organize, and strong unions across borders. Trade policy without labor rights is just corporate welfare—and we won’t settle for that.

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Autoworkers Score Major Victory as GM Reinvests Billions in U.S. Plants Following Auto Tariffs

General Motors announced yesterday it will invest $4 billion over the next two years across three U.S. plants in Michigan, Kansas, and Tennessee—bringing thousands of good union jobs back to the U.S.

This announcement marks a turning point in the long fight to reverse the damage caused by NAFTA and decades of so-called “free trade.” As auto tariffs help drive the return of production to the U.S., we’re beginning to undo the harm inflicted on blue-collar communities by policies that offshored jobs and gutted local economies.

By raising wages at GM globally, this shift signals the beginning of the end of the race to the bottom—where workers are forced to compete across borders over how little they can survive on, while corporations rake in billions.

“GM’s decision to invest billions in American plants and prioritize U.S. workers is exactly why we spoke up in favor of these auto tariffs,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “The writing is on the wall: the race to the bottom is over. We have excess manufacturing capacity at our existing plants, and auto companies can easily bring good union jobs back to the U.S. They can prove the naysayers wrong by investing in our communities and putting workers before corporate greed. GM is showing that it can be done.”

The UAW has long called for an end to the unfair trade practices that allowed automakers to offshore U.S. jobs, slash wages, and shutter dozens of once-thriving plants. More than 2 million vehicles a year have disappeared from American production lines over the last decade, while factories across Mexico and low-wage regions flourished under an exploitative trade system.

“The UAW has always stood up for job security—and we are seeing results. In just the past two months, GM has announced five major investments in American auto plants. That’s no coincidence. Skilled UAW members in Michigan, Kansas, Tennessee, and beyond are the reason GM turns a profit,” said UAW Vice President Mike Booth. “It’s great to see the company reinvest in the union workforce that makes it all possible. Our members show their American Spirit and pride in building the world-class vehicles and components that keep this industry strong—right here at home.”

As the auto industry shifts its supply chains and capital investment back to the U.S., the UAW continues to push for a robust industrial policy:

  • Strong tariffs on imported vehicles and parts to stop the offshoring of jobs.
  • Renegotiation of USMCA, including enforceable labor standards and a North American minimum wage.
  • Reshoring of the auto parts supply chain to ensure American manufacturing up and down the supply chain.
  • Federal support to protect and create good auto jobs, not corporate giveaways.
  • An end to stock buybacks and profit hoarding, so auto companies reinvest in jobs, wages, and U.S. manufacturing instead of enriching executives and Wall Street’s investor class.

Today’s announcement is a clear sign that with the right trade policies and worker-led organizing, the U.S. can rebuild its auto industry to work for working-class Americans—not just Wall Street. The announcement comes on top of GM’s nearly $1 billion investment in Tonawanda Propulsion and its $579 million investment at Flint Engine Operations. The Flint commitment was secured in the union’s 2023 national contract through the membership’s historic Stand Up Strike.

“We’ll work with anyone—Democrat, Republican, or independent—who’s serious about ending the ‘free trade’ disaster and building an economy that respects working-class people,” said Fain. “But let’s be clear: tariffs without worker power just mean bigger paydays for the boss. Tariffs increase profits—but only unions increase wages. Tariffs can protect an industry. Only unions can protect workers.”

This investment is a step in the right direction—but there’s much more work to do. To truly end the race to the bottom, we need enforceable protections for workers both in the U.S. and abroad. That means real rights on the job, the freedom to assemble and organize, and strong unions across borders. Trade policy without labor rights is just corporate welfare—and we won’t settle for that.

Ending offshoring and rebuilding the auto industry also means policies that help the entire working class: a strong National Labor Relations Board, secure retirements through Social Security, guaranteed health care through Medicare and Medicaid, and dignity on and off the job. This is how we ensure today’s gains become tomorrow’s standard—not just for autoworkers, but for all working-class people.

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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 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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New UAW Analysis Shows U.S. Can Create Tens of Thousands of Auto Jobs Using Existing Capacity

Detroit, MI — Today, the UAW released a new deep-dive report, Unlocking the Potential of U.S. Auto Manufacturing Capacity, revealing that America’s auto industry has the infrastructure and skilled workforce to build millions more vehicles — and create tens of thousands of good-paying union jobs — if companies invest at home instead of offshoring production and funneling more money to Wall Street.

In 2024, the United States had the capacity to manufacture over 14.7 million vehicles at active, existing plants, but produced only 10.2 million, leaving 4.5 million units of unused capacity. Plants across the country are underutilized because of high-exploitation race to the bottom practices that kill U.S. jobs and suppress wages for workers overseas, with the difference going straight to Wall Street.

Instead of using existing capacity, the Big Three and the rest of the auto industry loot the Rust Belt for stock buybacks and special dividends. Revitalizing the auto industry’s dormant capacity could create up to 90,000 new U.S. auto manufacturing jobs in short order, according to UAW estimates.

“We don’t need to break ground on a single new plant to rapidly grow auto manufacturing capacity — it’s already right in front of us, in the plants we’ve built, the skills of our members, and the communities that depend on these jobs,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Instead of offshoring jobs to low-wage, high-exploitation countries, auto companies must invest here at home and rebuild the middle class with union labor.”

The analysis shows that major automakers — GM, Ford, Stellantis, and Volkswagen — have steadily cut U.S. production even as they expanded output in Mexico. Since 2015, these companies have reduced annual U.S. vehicle production by 1.8 million units, hitting communities nationwide with plant closures, layoffs, and underutilized facilities.

“The working class built the auto industry — and we’re ready to build its future,” Fain continued. “Auto companies should be using this moment to scale up and add good jobs by investing in workers instead of Wall Street.”

View the full report here: https://uaw.us/ExcessCapacityPaper

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GM Department Update from UAW Vice President Booth

UAW GM members,

I hope the new year finds you well. As we continue building a more militant, fighting, and transparent union, I plan to provide regular updates in 2025 on the activities of the GM Department.

Record Profit Sharing

In January, GM announced it will deliver a record profit-sharing payout of $14,500 to eligible workers on February 28, 2025. I want to congratulate the membership on this news. As always, you performed beyond all expectations. Your skillfulness made the company’s profit possible.

There have been questions regarding temporary workers’ eligibility to receive the profit-sharing payout, and I would like to clarify where things stand. Per our 2023 collective bargaining agreement, all temporary workers, both full-time and part-time, are eligible for profit-sharing. This is the first time temporary workers at the Big Three have been eligible for the profit-sharing plan since its inception. 

Raising the Standard for Our Members at GM Sanitation

Your UAW GM Department has contracts with ten sanitation companies that service our worksites, and I’m happy to share that we just locked in the final one with Hydrochem.

We’ve made great progress in winning economic justice for our members at these sanitation companies in recent years, and the agreement with Hydrochem is no different. By the end of the new contract, our wage floor across our UAW-represented sites will be raised from less than $18 an hour to more than $26 per hour. Some sanitation workers will make as much as $40-plus an hour by the end of the agreement. Thanks to our members’ solidarity and our negotiators’ resilience, we’re raising the bar for all GM sanitation workers.

Second Round of SAP Successfully Completed

In January, we successfully concluded the second round of the Special Attrition Program (SAP). Congratulations to these members on a well-earned retirement. I want to shout out our members who walked the picket lines for six weeks during our Stand Up Strike in 2023 so that we could win hard-fought gains like this improved SAP. It’s important to note that we don’t anticipate another SAP opportunity until 2026.

Job Security

Your UAW GM Department leadership understands that these are uncertain times: Federal policies are changing and tariffs may affect our industry. Under our 2023 agreement, GM agreed to build electric vehicles at several of our facilities, including Fairfax Assembly, where many UAW members are temporarily laid off while the plant retools.  Our department regularly meets with GM and is requesting information from the company about its plans at Fairfax and other potentially affected plants. We will keep your local leadership updated as more information becomes available. Enforcing our contract and protecting our jobs is my highest priority.

In solidarity,
Mike Booth
Vice President and Director

UAW General Motors Department

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