On Wednesday, Shawn Fain, the President of the United Auto Workers union promised the union would “pull out all the stops” as it sought to unionize non-union US auto plants following its victorious labor action which won its workers new contracts with the Detroit Three automakers.
On Thursday, Fain will join with President Joe Biden in Belvedere, Illinois, where the two will hail the decision by Chrysler-Stellantis to reopen an assembly plant it had previously shuttered there. Fain told the media the UAW is aggressively formulating new organizing plans, in an interview at the Reuters Events auto conference in Detroit.
Fain said, “We’re going to pull out all stops. We’re going to leverage every avenue we can and we’re going to find creative ways to get to workers. We’re going to employ everything we can to support workers and give them what they need.”
He added that there have been hundreds of autoworkers from non-union plants which have been contacting the UAW, asking how to go about joining.
Fain also claimed credit for the decision last week by Toyota motors to raise the wages of non-unionized US factory workers, claiming that Toyota gave the workers raises, “because the company knows we’re coming for ’em.”
Toyota had announced it would increase the wages of hourly manufacturing workers at top pay by about 9% as of January 1st, and it would reduce the number of years it would take to reach top pay from eight years to four. The announcement came just days after the UAW managed to secure major raises in pay and benefits from the Detroit Three automakers.
For years, the UAW has sought to organize nonunion US automobile factories, with most of their targets being located in southern US states where there are “right to work” labor laws which make the payment of union dues optional for workers.
Fain proclaimed that, “When we return to the bargaining table in 2028, it won’t just be with the Big Three, but with the Big Five or Big Six.”
Fain will meet with Biden on Thursday, where the two will celebrate the decision by Stellantis to construct a new $3.2 billion battery plant, and build a new mid-sized truck factory with $1.5 billion in investments, under the new tentative labor agreement. Presently the UAW has not endorsed Biden for reelection, noting it is still in the process of securing ratification of its new labor deals.
Fain said of any potential endorsement, “We’re going to make endorsements at the proper time.”
