UAW launches bid to organize Tesla and 'entire non-union auto sector' in US (updated)
29/11/2023 20:45
(Adds comment by labor professor, background, adds efforts to
reach automakers for comment, paragraphs 8-10, 15-16)
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers
union said on Wednesday it is launching a first-of-its-kind push
to publicly organize the entire nonunion auto sector in the U.S.
after winning new contracts with the Detroit Three automakers.
The Detroit-based UAW said workers at 13 nonunion automakers
were announcing simultaneous campaigns across the country to
join the union, including at Tesla TSLA.O , Toyota 7203.T ,
Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE , Hyundai 005380.KS , Rivian RIVN.O ,
Nissan 7201.T , BMW BMWG.DE and Mercedes-Benz MBGn.DE .
Those automakers employ nearly 150,000 workers at their U.S.
assembly plants, about the same number as those employed by the
Detroit Three companies with which the UAW just signed new labor
agreements, the union said.
"To all the auto workers out there working without the
benefits of a union, now it's your turn," UAW President Shawn
Fain said in a video posted on a website urging auto workers to
sign electronic cards seeking union representation.
"The money is there. The time is right," he added. "You
don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay your rent or
feed your family while the company makes billions. A better life
is out there."
The UAW's deals with General Motors GM.N , Ford Motor F.N
and Stellantis STLAM.MI included a 25% increase in base wages
through 2028, cut the time needed to reach top pay to three
years from eight years, boosted the pay of temporary workers by
150% and made them permanent employees.
The UAW detailed its organizing strategy. The union said if
30% of workers at a nonunion plant sign cards seeking to join,
it would make that public. If 50% of workers seek to join, the
UAW would hold a rally with Fain to tout the effort. At 70% and
with an organizing committee in place, the UAW would seek
recognition or demand a union representation vote.
Other automakers the UAW is targeting include Honda
7267.T , Subaru 9778.T , Mazda 7261.T , Lucid LCID.O and
Volvo Cars.
A Subaru spokesman said the Japanese automaker has
"consistently demonstrated a commitment to proactively do the
right thing for its associates."
Officials with Toyota, Rivian and Volkswagen declined to
comment and the other automakers could not immediately be
reached.
The UAW effort with the nonunion automakers echoes the
approach it took with the Detroit Three, where the union
negotiated simultaneously with all three in reaching an
agreement after a six-week strike.
The push comes as several foreign automakers have announced
significant pay and other compensation improvements in response
to the UAW contracts in a move many analysts and industry
officials saw as an effort to keep the UAW out of their plants.
U.S. President Joe Biden this month backed the UAW in its
quest to unionize other carmakers. "I want this type of contract
for all auto workers and I have a feeling the UAW has a plan for
that," he said at an event with Fain.
The UAW for decades has unsuccessfully sought to organize
auto factories operated by foreign automakers. Efforts to
organize Nissan plants in Mississippi and Tennessee failed by
wide margins, and two attempts to organize VW's plant in
Chattanooga, Tennessee, failed by a closer margin.
Harley Shaiken, a labor professor at the University of
California, Berkeley, acknowledged the UAW's past failures, but
said the environment is more positive now with the strong deals
in place with the Detroit Three, a more favorable view of unions
by the broader public and the support of the White House.
"This is the moment to try it, but it will be very difficult
because the companies have raised wages to make this less likely
and they will resist this across the board very strongly," he
said. "It's going to be tough, but if there was a moment to
seize, it's right now."
The new UAW organizing site - UAW.org/join - echoes the
group's criticism of the Detroit Three automakers during its
contract push, including noting corporate profits and CEO pay.
The website asks Tesla workers to join, saying CEO "Elon
Musk is the richest man in the world, with a net worth of $230
billion. U.S. production has more than doubled since 2020, and
Tesla’s sales are booming. The question is, will Tesla workers
get their fair share?"
The UAW said one of its strongest campaigns was at Toyota’s
Georgetown, Kentucky, assembly complex, where 7,800 workers
build the Camry, RAV4 and Lexus ES. Union officials have
repeatedly pointed to Toyota as a top target.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington
Editing by Ben Klayman and Matthew Lewis)
((David.Shepardson@thomsonreuters.com; 2028988324;))