The United Auto Workers union announced Wednesday that it is embarking on an ambitious effort to organize factories owned by more than a dozen nonunion automakers, including Tesla and several foreign companies, but the goal is long overdue. could not be realized for a while.
The move comes weeks after the UAW won new contracts from General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis that included wage increases of more than 25% over four and a half years for the 146,000 union members employed there. It was done later.
In addition to Tesla, the push targets two other electric vehicle startups, Lucid and Rivian, as well as 10 foreign automakers: Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, and Volkswagen. N, Mazda, Volvo.
If the organizing movement gains momentum, it could become the largest UAW union since its inception in the 1930s. The union’s previous efforts to organize at single plants owned by foreign automakers, concentrated in the south, were in vain. If these companies gain a foothold, major changes will come to the U.S. auto industry. In the U.S. auto industry, nonunion manufacturers have long had a significant cost advantage over Detroit automakers.
The union said the organizing drive was sparked by inquiries from thousands of workers at non-union factories.
“Workers across the country, from the West to the Midwest and especially the South, are joining our movement and reaching out to join the UAW,” Union President Sean Fein said in a video posted to Facebook. ” “The money is there. It’s time.”
Honda’s statement cited the company’s “competitive wages and benefits,” adding: “We do not believe outside companies will enhance our employees’ excellent employment experience.” Mercedes did not directly address its push for unions, but said unions were “attractive employers” and carried out annual wage reviews. Rivian and Volkswagen said they would not comment. The other companies did not respond to requests for comment.
The UAW launched a website Wednesday that allows workers to electronically sign a card that officially certifies their desire for union representation. Earlier, the UAW had already received signature cards from more than 30% of workers at some plants, a standard required under federal law for unions to move forward with unionization votes. said a person familiar with the matter. .
The union is currently working to send organizers to the areas surrounding these non-union plants to work with workers at these plants, the official said.
After the UAW reached an agreement with Detroit automakers to raise wages, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai also announced they would raise wages for their workers.
Toyota told employees it would raise hourly wages by 9% in January. Honda will raise wages by 11% and Hyundai by 14% next year. Hyundai Motor plans to raise wages by 25% by 2028.
The UAW announced Wednesday it is making a concerted effort to organize a large Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, that will employ about 7,800 workers and produce Camry sedans and RAV4 sport utility vehicles. did.
UAW members have long earned more than non-union members. In southern factories, wages tend to start at less than $20 an hour and top out at less than $30 an hour. The UAW’s top hourly wage used to be $32, but it rose to more than $40 under the union’s contracts with three Detroit manufacturers.
The UAW narrowly missed unionization votes at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, twice in the past decade, in 2014 and 2019. The UAW lost by a landslide at the Nissan plant in Canton, Michigan. 2017. Organizing efforts at other companies’ factories have stalled ahead of the vote.
But since Fein took over as union president this year, the union has pledged to be more aggressive in contract negotiations with the Big Three and vowed new efforts to expand its reach in the industry. .
In addition to higher wages for Detroit companies, the UAW won an agreement to preserve jobs and keep the Stellantis plant in Illinois open, which had been scheduled for closure.
Arthur Wheaton, director of labor studies at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, said the UAW’s higher wages created a strong case for union participation.
“This shows collective bargaining worked, and it shows the UAW was successful,” he said. “They can say, ‘We saved this plant. Look what we got. You can have this too.’
Santur Nerkar Contributed to the report.