UAW (United Automobile Workers) Ram Strike Begins
October 23, 2023
The United Automobile Workers (UAW) union has initiated a strike involving 6,800 workers at a Ram pickup truck manufacturing plant in Michigan. This factory, owned by Stellantis, produces one of the automaker’s most profitable vehicles and has been included in the UAW’s strikes against the three major US automakers. The union members are demanding better wages and improved benefits from Stellantis amid claims that the company has the worst proposal regarding wage progression, temporary worker pay, conversion to full-time employment, and cost-of-living adjustments.
Stellantis reported profits exceeding $12 billion in the first half of this year, surpassing the combined profits of General Motors and Ford Motor. The strike, part of the UAW’s broader campaign for better working conditions, now affects approximately 40,000 workers across Ford, GM, and Stellantis facilities nationwide. This includes Ford plants in Michigan, Kentucky, and Chicago, Stellantis-owned parts warehouses in Ohio, and GM-owned plants and warehouses in Michigan and Missouri.
UAW Strike Ramifications & Consequences
CNN adds that the United Auto Workers (UAW) union describes Stellantis’ proposals on pay, temporary worker conversion to full-time, and cost-of-living adjustments as the “worst”, the UAW is pushing for better terms in its negotiations with the automaker. The union criticized Stellantis for lagging behind Ford and General Motors in addressing workforce demands, despite reporting higher revenue, profit margins, and cash reserves.
Ram pickup trucks, which are Stellantis’ top-selling vehicles in the US, are also manufactured at a non-union plant in Mexico and another UAW-represented plant in Michigan. However, the exact production figures from each plant remain undisclosed. This is the second unexpected strike initiated by the UAW in two weeks, following a strike at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant on October 11.
As the strike enters its sixth week, more than 40,000 UAW members, including 14,600 at Stellantis, 16,600 at Ford, and 9,200 at GM, have joined the action. The first five weeks of the strike have cost an estimated $9.3 billion, with the three automakers enduring a collective loss of $4.2 million. The strike is also impacting suppliers, who have lost $2.8 billion in profits and wages. UAW members at the automakers who are striking or have been laid off have lost almost $500 million in wages.
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