The UAW Might Unionize the Entire Auto Industry

The United Auto Workers (UAW) announced on Wednesday that more than a dozen non-union automakers have launched simultaneous campaigns to unionize. The process, outlined in an upcoming UAW flyer shared with the Detroit Free Press, includes a series of steps, such as having workers sign union cards, holding public rallies, and finally, demanding company recognition of the union. Responses from non-union workers to UAW’s initiative have been overwhelmingly positive. There is a sense of urgency among workers to ensure better pay and improved working conditions.

“Big Three autoworkers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis just won big raises, more job security and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for one simple reason: They’re organized. To all the autoworkers out there working without the benefits of a union, now it’s your turn.”

UAW President Shawn Fain via the Detroit Free Press

The UAW union has initiated an unprecedented public campaign to unionize 13 non-union automakers in the United States. Coming off the back of record labor contracts with Detroit’s big three car companies, the UAW aims to extend its reach to over 150,000 autoworkers across the country. Once 30% of workers at a plant sign union cards on the UAW’s website, the process of publically working toward unionization will begin. This will culminate in an organizing committee demanding company recognition of the union once 70% of the workforce has signed the cards.

To support these efforts, the UAW union released a signup page and a video highlighting union membership benefits. In the video, UAW President Shawn Fain encourages non-unionized autoworkers to take their turn to win better wages and job security, considering major automakers’ huge profits.

The UAW recently led a targeted strike against Detroit carmakers, which resulted in new contracts with benefits, including a 25% base wage increase. Despite recent wage hikes by some non-unionized automakers, Fain asserts that non-union workers still lag behind their UAW counterparts in terms of wages and job rights. One of the robust union campaigns is ongoing at Toyota’s Kentucky assembly plant. Even after Toyota’s wage increase, workers there are still voicing their need for more protection through unionization.

The UAW’s effort comes with the backdrop of auto industry giants like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, along with the historical Japanese and South Korean six automakers, amassing impressive profits in recent years. Fain emphasized workers’ entitlement to a significant share of these profits.

This organizing campaign signifies a shift from the traditional plant-by-plant strategy to a more ambitious one of publicly organizing the entire non-union auto sector simultaneously, reflecting a new era of working-class leverage and workplace organizing.