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Detroit, MI – After months of planning and deliberation, Stellantis has announced a historic investment in U.S. manufacturing. In a major victory for UAW members and working-class people across the Midwest, Stellantis shared that it will create 5,000 new UAW jobs over the next four years, with three new products. The company projects that they will increase production in the United States by 50% during this time period.
This move brings good-paying union jobs back to the U.S. and will strengthen the economy in communities that were devastated by so-called “free trade” policies like NAFTA and USMCA.
“A year ago, Stellantis was on a fast-track to moving their U.S. operations out of the country. Their decision today proves that targeted auto tariffs can, in fact, bring back thousands of good union jobs to the U.S.,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “Wall Street and supposed industry experts said this was impossible. But race to the bottom created by free trade is finally coming to an end.”
The update from the company today announced 5 new product launches, including 3 additional products beyond what we negotiated in our 2023 contract.
- Belvidere Assembly will produce two products, an all-new Jeep Cherokee and the Jeep Compass.
- Warren Truck will produce an all-new SUV, in addition to the Wagoneer family. The company projects an additional shift and 900 additional jobs by 2029.
- Toledo Assembly will produce the all-new midsize truck, which we won in our 2023 agreement, in addition to the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator.
The company also reaffirmed past investment commitments, including the next-generation Dodge Durango at the Detroit Assembly Complex and the GMET4 EVO Engine at the Kokomo Engine Plant.
“We’ve been making progress getting our members back to work, with indefinite layoffs coming down from a high of 3,228 in February to just over 1,700 this month” said the Director of the UAW Stellantis Department, Kevin Gotinsky. “This new investment will be a game-changer for UAW members. Instead of worrying about looming layoffs, we can support our families and build the quality products that we take pride in.”
The announcement follows approximately $5 billion in new U.S. investment announced by General Motors earlier this year.
Moving forward, the UAW is focused on the upcoming renegotiation of the USMCA, to permanently end the unfair trade practices that allowed automakers to offshore U.S. jobs, slash wages, and shutter dozens of once-thriving plants.
As part of that fight, the UAW is demanding a new worker-first trade deal that:
- Prioritizes job security: companies need to make it here if they want to sell it here.
- Strengthens enforceable labor rights for all workers. We can’t let corporations pit us against each other.
- Guarantees equal pay for equal work across borders. Corporations should not be able to use trade to cause a race to the bottom.
The Big Three have closed or spun off 65 facilities in the past 20 years. More than 2 million vehicles a year have disappeared from American production lines over the last decade, while factories in countries like Mexico have opened, offering jobs with low wages and terrible working conditions, hallmarks of our exploitative trade system.
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.
UAW Stellantis Family,
After months of pressure from UAW members and auto tariffs, Stellantis has announced a massive investment in U.S. manufacturing. At a meeting today, Stellantis corporate leadership informed President Fain and myself that the company will create 5,000 new UAW jobs over the next four years, with three new products. The company projects that they will increase production in the United States by 50% during this time period.
Read the full letter, here:
UAW Stellantis Members,
After the previous Stellantis leadership pursued a misguided race-to-the-bottom strategy—leading to plummeting sales and thousands of layoffs—the company is now working to regain its footing. The board has appointed Antonio Filosa, former head of North American operations, as the new CEO. UAW leadership will continue to meet with Filosa to push for honoring commitments to increase investment in American workers.
But we’re not just taking management at its word. We have a responsibility to enforce our contract and ensure our laid-off members are brought back to work. Contract enforcement is strongest when our members are actively involved. You are the first line of defense on the shop floor against any violations of the agreement. That’s why the UAW Stellantis Department regularly updates you on important contractual issues.
If you believe the company is violating the contract, contact your steward or committee person immediately.
Indefinite Layoffs are Decreasing
While we still have a way to go, we’re making real progress in getting our membership back to work. We hit a peak of 3,228 indefinitely laid-off members on February 1. On June 1, we saw that number decrease to 2,425 indefinitely laid-off members. We expect that number to decrease further in the coming months. The company has agreed to backfill an additional 423 vacant positions in June, due to workers taking separation packages (VTEPs and IPRs). That will bring us close to 2,000 indefinitely laid-off workers across Stellantis, a reduction of around 1,200 workers on indefinite layoff. While this progress is meaningful, we know that even a single member on indefinite layoff is one too many. We remain fully committed to using every tool at our disposal to end these layoffs and ensure all our members return to work.
Be Vigilant: Summer Replacements
There has been confusion about the company’s ability to hire summer replacements, while our members are laid-off. The company has posted some ads and held hiring events in certain locations for new, off-the-street hires. Some members are asking whether this is a violation of our contract. Our contract requires the company to recall all laid-off full-time employees on a plant’s recall list and in a plant’s labor market, before hiring new full-time employees (M-16). However, the company is currently able to bring on new temporary part-time employees, if there is no business need for a full-time position. We need to make sure that the company follows our agreement. If you know of any new full-time hires, please notify a union representative immediately, as we will want to take swift action.
Welcome New UAW Members at Stellantis StarPlus Battery Plant
Welcome to our new UAW sisters and brothers at StarPlus, the Stellantis Battery Joint Venture with Samsung, in Kokomo. Our 2023 agreement brought these battery workers under our Stellantis master agreement for the first time ever and they just successfully completed the card check process to join UAW Local 1166. Let’s give these 400 plus workers a warm welcome to the UAW. We are all stronger when every Stellantis worker negotiates under one master agreement, so it’s important for all of us that StarPlus is now part of the UAW.
Update on Dundee Temporary Layoff
Due to the length of the temporary layoff at Dundee Engine, healthcare coverage expired for 238 workers who were temporarily laid-off at Dundee. The Stellantis Department successfully negotiated the reinstatement of these benefits for the affected members, beyond what was contractually required during a temporary layoff. We are in regular communication with Stellantis about Dundee and are pressing the company to finish their retooling, while ensuring that the health and safety of our members is the top priority.
Belvidere Reopening Progress
As part of the process of bringing Belvidere Assembly back online, we have learned that the company has selected a lead launch coordinator. They have also started to select launch coordinators for various departments. The company is having teams walk through the plant to determine what work will need to be done by Skilled Trades prior to opening. This is positive news that shows that plans to reopen the plant are moving ahead. We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that we are on track and the contract is followed.
Our strength as a union comes from our membership. We appreciate you staying informed about these important issues and helping us enforce our contract.
In solidarity,
Kevin Gotinsky
Director, UAW Stellantis Department
Download the full letter:
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.
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
In a shocking move, Stellantis is preparing to spend billions of dollars on stock buybacks and dividends while autoworkers who build profitable vehicles are laid off and auto plants are underutilized across America.
At the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Amsterdam, the Stellantis Board of Directors has approved a $2.6 billion dollar dividend, while they consider an additional stock buyback of up to 10 % of the company’s stock, or $2.6 billion.
The UAW is calling on all allies of the working class to sign on to a petition demanding Stellantis invest in its workers, not just Wall Street.
“Two weeks ago, Stellantis said the sky was falling because of auto tariffs, and said they had to lay off workers, claiming they are losing money. But then all of a sudden, a miracle happened: they found billions of dollars, nearly half of last year’s profits, to pay to Wall Street!” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “This is everything that has been wrong with corporate America for decades. Instead of investing in the autoworkers and facilities that make this company run, Stellantis is putting Wall Street over Main Street. Stellantis could create thousands of good paying jobs in America in very short order by utilizing excess capacity in places like Toledo South Assembly in Ohio, Belvidere Assembly in Illinois, Mack, Warren, Trenton Engine in Michigan, and plants in Kokomo, Indiana. It’s time for Stellantis to stop looting the Rust Belt for short-sighted Wall Street jackpots. INVEST IN US!”
With $5 billion, Stellantis could reopen multiple plants, lower the price of vehicles, and regain their market share in the US auto market. Instead, the company is choosing to spend that money on Wall Street.
Some shareholders are pushing back as well on Stellantis’ $25 million payout for disgraced CEO Carlos Tavares. As part of the UAW’s Keep the Promise campaign, Tavares was ousted following his gross mismanagement of the company.
It’s time for Stellantis to get back on track building great vehicles in the US, using their unused capacity, and do right by the taxpayers, consumers, and autoworkers.
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.
More than $1.5 billion in stolen wages recovered for workers between 2021 and 2023
Labor unions are essential in fighting wage theft by promoting workers’ rights and fair pay. They offer resources and collective bargaining power to address issues like unpaid overtime and misclassification. By securing stronger contracts with clear wage terms and educating workers about their rights, unions empower employees to identify and report wage theft. Furthermore, unions advocate for stricter enforcement of labor laws, which helps ensure employer accountability and fosters a more equitable work environment.
A federal legislation known as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets minimum wages, overtime compensation, and rules for child labor. Workers must be paid for all hours worked in accordance with the FLSA. Nonetheless, wage theft by big corporations removes billions of dollars from workers’ paychecks annually. Anytime an employer fails to give employees the money they have earned through their efforts, it is considered wage theft. This can take many different forms, such as paying employees less than the minimum wage or failing to provide overtime compensation to qualified employees who put in more than 40 hours per week. Although wage theft can happen to any worker, it is particularly common among those in low-paying industries. Thankfully, employees can recover their owed earnings under federal and state wage and hour laws.
10 Major Social Media Trends in 2025
Effective communication is crucial for labor unions, fostering collaboration, trust, and engagement among members.
You can sustain or increase the success of your local labor communications by keeping up with social media trends. While some social media trends, like memes, might change rapidly, others are more permanent, and you can use these to guide your content schedule and overall social media plan.
As UAW President Shawn Fain stated, “We don’t win by telling workers what to do, what to say, or how to say it. We win by giving working-class people the tools, the inspiration, and the courage to stand up for themselves.” Labor communications give our members the tools and the inspiration to change not only their lives but also help those in our communities by raising the standards.
UAW IN THE NEWS — Victory for UAW Workers! Stellantis Recommits, Pledges Billions for Union Jobs
After months of determined efforts, the UAW has secured a major win for American autoworkers! Stellantis has committed billions to honor the 2023 contract promises, including reopening the Belvidere Assembly Plant in 2027 with a new midsize truck and building the next-gen Dodge Durango in Detroit.
These commitments, initially walked back by former leadership, are now being fulfilled thanks to workers standing united.
“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.”
Together, we’ve shown that when workers demand accountability, we can achieve real progress.
UAW IN THE NEWS — Battery Workers at BlueOval SK in Kentucky File for First Major Union Election in the South in 2025
Battery workers across the country are organizing to join the UAW and raise standards across the industry. Last year, workers at GM’s joint venture Ultium in Spring Hill joined our union just months after their coworkers in Lordstown won a breakthrough first contract.
Workers at Ford are close behind.
A supermajority of workers at battery maker BlueOval SK filed a petition Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to form their union with the UAW. The election filing at BlueOval SK (BOSK), a new joint venture of Ford and SK On, is the first major filing in the South in 2025 and continues the movement of Southern autoworkers organizing with the UAW.
“We’re forming our union so we can have a say in our safety and our working conditions,” said Halee Hadfield, a quality operator at BOSK. “The chemicals we’re working with can be extremely dangerous. If something goes wrong, a massive explosion can occur. With our union, we can speak up if we see there’s a problem and make sure we’re keeping ourselves and the whole community safe.”
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UAW YEAR IN REVIEW 2024
2024 was a big year for UAW members. From auto workers winning their union at Volkswagen in Chattanooga to thousands of higher education workers organizing across the country, our members are standing up to the boss and winning! And we’re just getting started.
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.
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