The UAW automobile union announced this Monday, October 23, the extension of the strike, which has affected the facilities of the three large American manufacturers since mid-September, to a major Stellantis factory in Michigan.
Stellantis’ “largest and most lucrative factory”
Another 6,800 employees are being asked to stop working at what the union describes as Stellantis’ “largest and most lucrative factory” in the United States.
This is the “SHAP” assembly plant, located in Sterling Height, north of Detroit. It produces one of the group’s best-selling vehicles, the Ram 1500 pickup truck.
This brings the total of strikers in the three groups to more than 40,000, of the 146,000 registered in the UAW. This is the first time that the “Big Three” (the three historic American manufacturers) have been attacked at the same time.
Setback in negotiations
Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), reported, however, on Friday of “serious movement” in negotiations with Stellantis and General Motors to reach new collective agreements.
“I’m pleased to report that in the last 24 hours we’ve seen major moves in Stellantis and GM,” he said.
“Meanwhile, Ford (…) continues to claim that they cannot afford to give us what we ask for,” he continued.
But on Monday morning, the union noted persistent “gaps” in the latest offer from Stellantis, which owns 14 brands including Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Peugeot.
Expected alignment with Ford and GM
“Despite having the highest revenues, the largest profits (in North America and globally), the highest operating margins and the most cash in reserve, Stellantis still lags” both Ford and General Motors in their approach to the demands of UAW employees,” the union said in its statement.
The group submitted the “worst offer” regarding, in particular, wage increases, the remuneration of temporary workers and even cost-of-living adaptation measures (COLA).
The list of mobilized sites has grown or not grown as the discussions have progressed, affecting secondary factories, but the UAW had already dealt a severe blow on October 11 by closing the Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP), Ford’s largest plant. . It generates 25 billion dollars in revenue per year.
Source: BFM TV
