United Auto Workers (UAW) President Sean Fein filed a complaint Thursday accusing Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) of threatening a worker strike in violation of federal labor law. UAW union members have been on strike for about a week against three major U.S. automakers, including Ford, Stellantis and General Motors, over wage and labor disputes. The complaint filed Thursday centers on public statements Scott made earlier in the week. “If you strike, you get fired,” Scott said at a campaign event, after praising former President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 decision to fire striking federal workers.
The complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) states that Scott’s comments “have adversely affected employees engaged in protected concerted activity by publicly responding to questions about employee strikes.” “He threatened to give her a gift.” According to the complaint, Scott’s actions violate the National Labor Relations Act, which prohibits workers from “self-organizing, forming, participating in, supporting labor organizations, bargaining collectively with representatives of their own choosing, and otherwise protection of the right to engage in activities of Collective bargaining and other cooperative activities aimed at mutual aid and protection. ”
Scott responded to the charges Friday: “They’re trying to intimidate me into silence. They don’t scare me.” Scott is currently competing in the Republican primary for the US presidential election. If Scott wins his party’s nomination, he will become the Republican candidate in the November 2024 US presidential election.
UAW members have been actively striking for about a week against the so-called “big three” automakers: Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors. After the latter two companies failed to make reasonable progress toward a fair agreement this week, Fein announced Friday that it would significantly expand the strike to 38 locations in 20 states. UAW union members are demanding a four-year contract with a 36% wage increase, annual cost-of-living adjustments, reinstatement of pension benefits, stronger job security and a four-day work week.
The UAW is one of the largest labor unions founded in North America. According to the UAW’s constitution, the UAW “improve working conditions, reduce working hours, increase wages, [and] medical care and pensions. ” Fein was elected by union members and became UAW president on March 26 earlier this year.