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Fain, UAW rally in Warren after Stellantis announces mass layoffs at truck plant
13 September 2024 at 18:23
An ongoing fight between the United Auto Workers and Stellantis could have an impact on the race for the White House.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain says the automaker failed to make good on a vow to reopen a facility in Illinois, and is now cutting a production shift at its Warren Truck Assembly Plant resulting in mass layoffs.
The UAW reached a historic deal with Stellantis last year after a six-week strike against Detroit’s Big Three automakers. The contract included an agreement to reopen the Belvidere Assembly plant in Illinois by 2027, but delays have led union leaders to threaten another strike.
Stellantis announced Wednesday it would spend roughly $400 million to revamp three Michigan factories to build electric vehicles or parts. An assembly plant in Sterling Heights will get the bulk of the investment — $235.5 million — so it can make the battery-powered Ram 1500 pickup truck that will go into production later this year.
The company will also invest $97.6 million into its Warren Truck Assembly Plant to build electric versions of the Jeep Wagoneer large SUV, however, its plan to cut the second shift at the plant could cost as many as 2,500 jobs.
Fain says the layoffs could be the next step in triggering the union to stage a work stoppage against the automaker.
“This company owes these workers. This company owes this nation. These taxpayers bailed this company out during a recession. I was there. And all they do is continually search for a race to the bottom — for cheaper workers — and they bankrupt communities,” Fain said at a rally on Thursday outside UAW Local 140 Hall in Warren. “That’s gotta stop. That’s what this election coming up’s about.”
The UAW endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House, with Fain calling her a better friend to organized labor than former President Donald Trump. But Fain acknowledges a portion of his rank-and-file membership strongly back the Republican presidential nominee.
Throughout his campaign, Trump has vowed to protect the U.S. auto industry by adding huge tariffs on foreign imports and ending a push for electric vehicles he claims will cost autoworkers their jobs.
Speaking at the rally in Warren on Thursday, Fain said Trump’s actions while in office did not match his campaign rhetoric.
“Plant after plant closed, we lost several plants in the Big Three — Donald Trump as president did and said nothing,” Fain said. “But now he wants to talk about how EVs are gonna kill us? They’ve been doing a fine job of doing that without going to EVs. So Donald Trump don’t know a damn thing about autoworkers.”
Fain spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, who he says walked picket lines with union workers and will be an advocate for organized labor.
During his speech at the DNC, Fain said the union would “take whatever action necessary at Stellantis — or any other corporation — to stand up and hold corporate America accountable.”
The automaker — which reported poor sales and earnings this year — says it will eventually meet its commitment to reopen the Illinois plant, attributing the the delay to unfavorable “market conditions.”
The Associated Press and WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.
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