Tag Archive for: Keep the Promise

Detroit, MI – After months of pushing the company to Keep The Promise made in 2023 contract negotiations, the UAW has successfully secured a commitment from Stellantis to invest billions in American autoworkers. In response, the union has agreed to settle its grievances concerning the Dodge Durango and the reopening of Belvidere Assembly.

Specifically, Stellantis has committed to build the next generation Dodge Durango at the Detroit Assembly Complex and to reopen the Belvidere Assembly Plant in 2027 and allocate a new midsize truck, as agreed to in the union’s 2023 contract. Both of these commitments had been walked back by disgraced former CEO Carlos Tavares, and are being honored by the company’s new leadership.

“This victory is a testament to the power of workers standing together and holding a billion-dollar corporation accountable,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “We’ve shown that we will do what it takes to protect the good union jobs that are the lifeblood of places like Belvidere, Detroit, Kokomo, and beyond.”

The company also committed to a significant investment in Kokomo, announcing plans to build Phase II of the GME-T4 EVO engine beginning in 2026, reversing plans to move work out of this country. There will be no change to existing GME-T4 EVO production at the Dundee Engine Plant. Finally, the company committed to increased component production at the Toledo Machining Plant.

Thousands of UAW members and leaders rallied, marched, filed grievances, and organized their coworkers as part of the union’s Keep the Promise campaign, contributing to CEO Carlos Tavares’ ouster in late 2024. The new North American COO Antonio Filosa has expressed a desire to work with the UAW to build vehicles here in the U.S.

After securing a historic agreement in 2023 contract negotiations which included a first-ever right to strike over product and investment commitments, the UAW has successfully enforced its contract with Stellantis, while advocating for pro-worker trade policies that will stop the auto industry’s race to the bottom and the gutting of working class communities across America.

We are excited to announce that Stellantis has finalized their employee leasing agreement at their joint venture battery plant with Samsung SDI. This means over 1,000 new jobs for UAW members in Kokomo, at a time when Stellantis is trying to cut its way out of its own mismanagement.

We won this leasing agreement in our 2023 contract negotiations, but under the failed leadership of Carlos Tavares, the company delayed making good on their commitment to workers in Kokomo. This pattern of going back on agreements and violating our contract was part of what led us to call for Tavares’s resignation.

We look forward to continuing this progress in honoring our contract with new Stellantis leadership that respects hardworking UAW members and is ready to keep its promise to America by investing in the people who build its products.

Tavares’ resignation is a major step in the right direction for a company that has been mismanaged and a workforce that has been mistreated for too long. Tavares is leaving behind a mess of painful layoffs and overpriced vehicles sitting on dealership lots. For weeks, thousands of UAW members at Stellantis have been calling for the company to fire Tavares due to his reckless mismanagement of the company. We are pleased to see the company responding to pressure and correcting course.

We will keep using all means available to hold Stellantis accountable and enforce the contract we won in 2023, including advancing strikeable grievances until Stellantis keeps its investment commitments to workers in Belvidere, Michigan, and beyond. We are looking forward to sitting down with the new CEO, backed up by thousands of UAW Stellantis members ready to take action, and discussing their plan to keep making world-class vehicles here in the United States.

DETROIT, MI — UAW President Shawn Fain will rally with members from Detroit Assembly Complex-Mack at UAW Local 51 to call on Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares to honor the union contract and Keep The Promise. The union secured product and investment commitments in Belvidere, Illinois and across the country in its 2023 contract. A year later, the company is trying to go back on their commitments to Stellantis autoworkers – and they’re saying, “No!”

WHO: UAW President Shawn Fain, UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English
WHAT: Rally to Make Stellantis Keep the Promise
WHERE: UAW Local 51, 11000 E. Jefferson, Detroit, MI 48214
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 3:00 pm

UAW President Shawn Fain, UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English, UAW members and supporters will highlight Stellantis’ refusal to follow through on the $19 billion in product and investment commitments made during the 2023 Stand Up Strike. These promises include reopening the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois and building the next generation Dodge Durango in Detroit—both crucial agreements that Stellantis is now trying to backtrack on.

UAW locals representing tens of thousands of Stellantis workers have filed grievances with the company over their failure to Keep the Promise made in contract negotiations. Once the grievance procedure is exhausted under the national contract, the union may authorize a strike.

As Stellantis has filed frivolous lawsuits and robocalled members in a desperate effort to block the union’s actions, three UAW locals have already passed strike authorization votes, with more locals preparing to follow. The union’s grievance process, initiated due to Stellantis’ failure to reopen Belvidere and invest in future production, is moving forward. If grievances remain unresolved, a strike at one or more Stellantis facilities could begin within weeks.

UAW President Shawn Fain recently urged Stellantis members to stand up and fight for their jobs and futures by going to ShitcanCarlos.com to sign a strike authorization pledge.

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep The Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.

TRENTON, MI — UAW members will rally at the UAW Local 372 union hall to call on Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares to honor the union contract and Keep The Promise to maintain product and investment commitments in Belvidere, Illinois and across the country.

WHO: UAW President Shawn Fain and UAW Region 1A Director Laura Dickerson
WHAT: Rally at Trenton Engine to Make Stellantis Keep The Promise
WHERE: UAW Local 372, 4571 Division St, Trenton, MI 48183
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 3:00pm

UAW members and supporters will highlight Stellantis’ refusal to follow through on the $19 billion in product and investment commitments made during the 2023 Stand Up Strike. These promises include reopening the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois and building the next generation Dodge Durango in Detroit—both crucial agreements that Stellantis is now trying to backtrack on.

UAW locals representing tens of thousands of Stellantis workers have filed grievances with the company over their failure to Keep the Promise made in contract negotiations. Once the grievance procedure is exhausted under the national contract, the union may authorize a strike.

As Stellantis has filed frivolous lawsuits and robocalled members in a desperate effort to block the union’s actions, three UAW locals have already passed strike authorization votes, with more locals preparing to follow. The union’s grievance process, initiated due to Stellantis’ failure to reopen Belvidere and invest in future production, is moving forward. If grievances remain unresolved, a strike at one or more Stellantis facilities could begin within weeks.

In a new video released last week, UAW President Shawn Fain directly addresses Stellantis members, urging them to stand up and fight for their jobs and futures by going to ShitcanCarlos.com to sign a strike authorization pledge.

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep The Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise

UAW members from Stellantis plants across the country rallying Thursday with allies to make sure company meets its U.S. investment commitments


WHAT:
       Keep The Promise at Stellantis Rally

WHERE:     Near the Washington Hilton – Rally will be in courtyard at Southwest Corner of Florida Ave NW & T Street NW

WHEN:      Thursday, Oct. 10, 1:00 p.m.


WASHINGTON —
 The campaign to Keep The Promise at Stellantis is coming to Washington.

UAW members, lawmakers and allies are rallying on Thursday to demand that Stellantis keep its promise to invest in good American jobs.

UAW members at Stellantis won $19 billion in product and investment commitments from the company during last year’s Stand Up Strike. Those commitments include the reopening of an idled assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois. Now, the company is trying to backtrack on that and other contractually required investments.

“Stellantis made a promise to invest in America and we’re making sure they keep the promise,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “The commitments we won in our contract aren’t goals, they’re guarantees. The company claims they don’t have the money to make these investments. But since the year began, they’ve dumped more than $3 billion into stock buybacks. They have the money to Keep The Promise.”

In the 2023 contract, the UAW won the right to file grievances and to strike if the company fails to meet product and investment commitments.

This August, UAW locals representing tens of thousands of Stellantis workers began filing grievances with the company over the failure to reopen the assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, and to build the next generation Dodge Durango in Detroit. Once the grievance procedure is exhausted under the national contract, the union may authorize a strike.

Two UAW locals at Stellantis have already passed strike authorization votes and more locals are on track to hold strike votes soon. A strike at one or more Stellantis facilities could begin within weeks.

Thursday’s Keep the Promise Rally will begin at 1:00 p.m. near the Washington Hilton.

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep The Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — UAW members at Stellantis’ Denver Parts Distribution Center (PDC) have voted by 97% to authorize the International UAW to call a strike if the union cannot reach a settlement with Stellantis over the company’s violations of the current contract.

UAW locals across the country have charged Stellantis with violating product and investment commitments in the contract. As the grievances proceed, more UAW locals at Stellantis could be holding strike authorization votes soon.

The members of Denver-area UAW Local 186 are the second local of Stellantis workers to approve a strike authorization vote. The members of UAW Local 230 at Stellantis’ Los Angeles PDC were the first, passing their strike authorization vote on Thursday, Oct. 3.

In the UAW’s 2023 contract, the union won $19 billion in investment commitments, securing a future for tens-of-thousands of good union jobs in the United States. The UAW also made history by winning the right to strike if the company fails to fulfill those commitments. A year into the collective bargaining agreement, the company has put forward investment plans equal to only about 2% of the $19 billion in commitments and is now publicly backtracking on its commitments to reopen the idled assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, and to build the Dodge Durango in Detroit.

Instead of fulfilling its investment commitments, Stellantis has poured $1.1 billion into stock buybacks in just the last nine weeks. The company committed to spend $3.3 billion on stock buybacks in 2024.

Stellantis has launched an aggressive PR campaign peddling misinformation about the company’s attempts to evade its U.S. investment commitments. Stellantis is also mounting a desperate effort to intervene in the union’s constitutional strike authorization process. Last week, the company made robocalls to tens of thousands of UAW members across the country telling them to vote no on strike authorization. Last week’s overwhelming yes votes at both the Los Angeles and Denver parts center shows members are ready to fight and that Stellantis’ campaign is backfiring. The company has additionally filed frivolous suits in federal court to try and stop UAW members from utilizing their contractual right to strike over the company’s broken promises.

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep The Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.

DETROIT — UAW President Shawn Fain and UAW Stellantis Department Director Kevin Gotinsky issued the following statements about Stellantis’ misleading claims on its product and investment commitments in the United States.

UAW President Shawn Fain issued the following statement: 

“Stellantis, formerly FCA, formerly Cerberus, formerly Daimler, formerly Chrysler, is following in a long line of failing corporate executives blaming autoworkers for their own mismanagement.”

“It is gross mismanagement by top executives that is killing this company. It is laughable that Stellantis claims our proposal to reopen Belvidere is ‘outrageous.’ In just the last 9 weeks, Stellantis has pissed away $1 billion in stock buybacks for a total of $3 billion in stock buybacks this year. Our proposal would cost a fraction of that and would go directly to the autoworkers who have built this company.

“Everyone knows the so-called ‘jobs bank’ didn’t cause the 2008 bankruptcies, and autoworkers aren’t responsible for CEO Carlos Tavares’ mismanagement today. We are asking that Stellantis keep their contractual commitments and do right by Belvidere autoworkers and autoworkers across the country. If they can’t do that, then the only answer is for autoworkers to join with dealers, suppliers, and shareholders in demanding that Carlos be shitcanned.”

UAW Stellantis Department Director Kevin Gotinsky issued the following statement: 

“Stellantis is falsely comparing its commitments in our current contract to the jobs bank program from decades ago. The jobs bank program offered protection for jobs that were outsourced. If Stellantis lives up to its commitments and reopens Belvidere Assembly and builds the Belvidere parts Megahub, our members will be back to work soon and the cost to the company will be minimal. These employees can and are willing to perform work today. That is all they want, to have a future and be able to provide for their families as agreed to in our contract.”

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep The Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.

ONTARIO, Calif. — On Thursday night, a supermajority of UAW members at Stellantis’ Los Angeles Parts Distribution Center voted to request strike authorization from the International Executive Board if the company and union can’t settle the grievance over the company’s refusal to meet contractually required investments in America.

They are the first UAW members at Stellantis to hold such a vote since UAW locals began filing grievances against the company in August. The locals have charged Stellantis with violating product and investment commitments in the current contract. As the grievances proceed, more UAW locals at Stellantis could be holding strike authorization votes soon.

“Stellantis made a contractual promise to invest in America and we are not going to let them weasel out of it,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Our members won those investments during the Stand Up strike, and we will strike again to make Stellantis keep the promise if we have to.”

In the UAW’s 2023 contract, the union won $19 billion in investment commitments, securing a future for tens-of-thousands of good union jobs in the United States. The UAW also made history by winning the right to strike if the company fails to fulfill those commitments. A year into the collective bargaining agreement, the company has put forward investment plans equal to only about 2% of the $19 billion in commitments and is now publicly backtracking on its commitments to reopen the idled assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, and to build the Dodge Durango in Detroit.

“If Stellantis can give CEO Carlos Tavares a 56% raise and spend billions lavishing rich shareholders with stock buybacks and dividends, then they sure as hell have the money for productive investments in our plants,” said Fain.

Stellantis is mounting a desperate effort to intervene in the union’s constitutional strike authorization process. This week, the company has been making robocalls to tens of thousands of UAW members across the country telling them to vote no on strike authorization. Yesterday’s overwhelming yes vote at the Los Angeles parts center shows members are ready to fight and that Stellantis’ campaign is backfiring. The company has additionally filed frivolous suits in federal court to try and stop UAW members from utilizing their contractual right to strike over the company’s broken promises.

“Carlos Tavares is being sued by suppliers and shareholders, the national dealers network is up in arms against him, and he is now facing down a strike from the mighty UAW. If an autoworker in the plant did as piss-poor of a job as Tavares, they would be fired. It’s time for Stellantis to shitcan Carlos!” said Fain.

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep The Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.

DETROIT – Today, the UAW released a video exposing a robocall campaign by Stellantis telling tens of thousands of UAW members to vote no on a potential strike authorization vote. In August, the union filed grievances against Stellantis for violating product and investment commitments in its current contract and the grievance process could escalate to a strike.

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

The new video is narrated by UAW President Shawn Fain. “Stellantis management is literally saying we’re going to eliminate your job and gut your community, but we would appreciate your support,” Fain says in the video. “The company has NO BUSINESS telling you how to vote. But it’s clear that Stellantis is scared.”

The video is dropping on the same day that Stellantis members and allies are holding a 3:30 p.m. rally and march at UAW Local 1264 at Stellantis’ Sterling Stamping Plant. 

In the UAW’s 2023 contract, the union won major gains, including a commitment from Stellantis to reopen an idled assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, and to build the Dodge Durango in Detroit. Now the company is trying to backtrack on those commitments.

In the 2023 contract, the UAW also won the right to strike over product and investment commitments, and the union’s members are preparing to strike if necessary to make Stellantis Keep the Promise.

The full transcript of President Fain’s narration is below:  

Carlos Tavares is out of control, and it’s once again up to UAW members to save this company from itself.

The company has sent robocalls to tens of thousands of UAW members trying to tell us how to vote on a strike authorization.

Let me break this down for you.

Stellantis management is literally saying we’re going to eliminate your job and gut your community, but we would appreciate your support.

The company has NO BUSINESS telling you how to vote.

But it’s clear that Stellantis is scared.

They’re scared that our union will finally start fighting back to save our plants and save our jobs.

For years this company picked us off plant by plant and our union took no action.

That’s why it was so important for us to win the right to strike over violations of the product commitments in our historic 2023 contract.

And now the company is scared.

They’re scared because rather than picking us off we now have the power to stand up together.

They’re scared of the power of our membership.

Stellantis is desperate to keep going down a path of cutting short-term costs even if it kills this company.

That path is a DEAD END.

And if UAW members have to strike to make them change course and keep their promise to America, that’s exactly what we’ll do.

Here’s Carlos Tavares’ plan for this company:

Carlos Tavares wants to kill good jobs in America and shift 80 percent of production to so-called “low-cost countries.”

These are high-exploitation, low-wage countries where workers make pennies on the dollar so Stellantis can ship the product back into the USA at an insane profit.

And Tavares is going to have his way, unless we in the UAW join together to stop him.

Carlos Tavares also wants to cut staffing and investment to the bone.

And that has real consequences for real people.

The lives of thousands of families in Belvidere, Ill., are hanging in the balance, as Stellantis tries to back out of their promise to reopen that plant.

Thousands of Michigan workers are under threat as Stellantis tries to back out of their commitments for the Dodge Durango at the Detroit Assembly Complex.

Carlos Tavares is also turning good union jobs into dangerous jobs.

At Stellantis’ Toledo Assembly plant in Ohio, one of our union brothers recently lost his life on the assembly line.

That’s what happens when you cut staffing to the bone, and force people to work endless hours.

It’s not safe. It’s not fair. And it’s not right.

Carlos Tavares is driving this company into the ground. Literally.

In Toledo, a smokestack recently collapsed and crushed an employee’s car – a Dodge Durango.

But we will not let Carlos Tavares continue to tear this company down.

For decades Stellantis management has been more than happy to sacrifice autoworker jobs and our communities at the altar of corporate greed.

The UAW has two words for Carlos Taveres and Stellantis: HELL NO.

If it takes a fight, we’ll fight.

If it takes a strike, we’ll strike.

Carlos, we’re voting yes.

To make Stellantis Keep The Promise.

WHAT:    Keep the Promise Rally and March
WHEN:   Thursday, Oct. 3, 3:30 PM
WHERE: UAW Local 1264, 7450 15 Mile Rd, #2, Sterling Heights, MI 48312

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — UAW President Shawn Fain will headline a Detroit-area rally and march on Thursday demanding that Stellantis fulfill its promise to invest in good American jobs. Stellantis is trying to backtrack on its contractual commitments to build the Dodge Durango in Detroit and to reopen the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois.

“We are done with the days of plant closings,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “During the Stand Up Strike, UAW members at Stellantis fought and won a commitment from the company to reopen Belvidere and invest billions in our plants across the country. That was a promise to invest in America and we’re going to make sure they keep the promise.”

Thursday’s Keep the Promise Rally will begin at 3:30 p.m. at UAW Local 1264 in Sterling Heights. Rally-goers will then march roughly half a mile to Stellantis’ Sterling Stamping Plant. ** UAW members will not be picketing or striking, this is not a work stoppage.  Attendees will not block traffic or driveways. Workers must work their shifts as scheduled. **

The rally and march are part of the UAW’s ongoing campaign to enforce the union’s contract at Stellantis. The campaign began when UAW locals representing tens of thousands of Stellantis workers filed grievances with the company over its failure to Keep the Promise made in contract negotiations in 2023. Once the grievance procedure is exhausted under the national contract, the union may authorize a strike.

Last week, nearly 200 leaders from UAW locals representing Stellantis workers from across the country met and voted unanimously to recommend that members get ready to vote YES to authorize a strike at Stellantis if the company refuses to fulfill its product and investment commitments.

For more information on the fight to make Stellantis Keep The Promise, visit UAW.org/KeepThePromise.