Shawn Fain, the United Auto Workers’ combative president, told a cheering crowd of several hundred union members he wanted an end to the double standard in the auto industry where executives get generous raises and benefits while workers get “scraps.”

Fain also told the cheering crowd during a rally at UAW Region 1 headquarters in Warren, Michigan he’s not planning and not looking for a strike at General Motors, Ford Motor Co. or Stellantis. But he wanted each of the three automakers to take seriously the union’s demands for a pay increase, shorter hours, and the restoration of benefits such as defined benefit pensions and cost-of-living adjustments.

No strike plans yet

“I’ve been told we’ve set expectations too high,” said Fain during the rally, which was called to boost the turnout for the UAW strike vote, which is set to conclude this week. 

Fain emphasized Detroit’s Three automaker have made $21 billion in the first half of 2023. “Record profits deserve a record contract,” added Fain, who seems to have become more militant since the negotiations began last month.

“Our plans are not to have a strike,” Fain said. “But we must plan for every possible scenario.”

Fain has dialed up a new, more aggressive communications strategy around the negotiations since he was narrowly elected UAW president this past spring. He told the crowd it would continue. “The days of letting the company set the narrative are over. We’re going to put the facts out while the companies put out “their B.S. and spin,” he said.

“I’m tired of the UAW being blamed for everything that wrong with the Big Three,” he added. “I know this membership is fed up. We’ve seen these corporates recognize record profits, while we’ve been going backwards. What we’ve been experiencing they make billions, the leaders make millions in salaries, and we live paycheck to paycheck. That’s unacceptable,” he said.

“We’re demanding pay increase equivalent to the 40% pay increases the executives have given themselves for the last four. 

Fain, who wore a bright red t-shirt sporting the slogan “End Tiers” also said the union is determined to end the tiered wage structure, which now prevails across the industry. He also told the audience, which included three Democratic Representatives from the U.S. House of Representatives, Debbie Dingell, Haley Stevens and Rashida Tlaib, he expected the unio secure the work on batteries and electric vehicles.

Double standard must end

The UAW President also came down hard on what he sees as the class divisions in the auto industry, attacking what he sees as one standard for salaried employees and another for hourly workers.

Fain noted all the talking heads hare having a “meltdown” over the union’s call for a shorter work week and the restoration of the jobs bank, noting Toyota was praised in the media when it released employees to work on community projects rather laying them off. “It was a jobs bank,” he said.

He noted when the surveyed employees in the financial industry from which many analysts come, he noted that 65% of the employees said the preferred to work from home and 75% said working from home improved the relationships with their children. 

Many employees of GM, Ford and Stellantis are still working from home, noted Fain, who added had no problem with that. But union members also deserve an opportunity to spend more time with their family and to protect their health. “Everyone’s time matters,” he said. 

“We have plan,” Fain said. “Our plan is to bargain like hell and get the best deal for our membership. We have an obligation to lead the fight for economic justice for the working class in this country. If we don’t lead, no one is going to. The race to the bottom ends Sept. 14.”

The automakers while they have pushed back on some of Fain tough rhetoric, also have emphasized the need for cooperation.

“We’ve been working hard with the UAW every day to ensure we get this agreement right for all our stakeholders. We know that our U.S. economic impact supports more than six jobs for every job created by GM. We take that responsibility very seriously, and we continue to bargain in good faith each day to support our team members, our customers and dealers, the community, our suppliers, and the business,” GM noted in a statement.

• SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
• PlatoData.Network Vertical Generative Ai. Empower Yourself. Access Here.
• PlatoAiStream. Web3 Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
• PlatoESG. Automotive / EVs, Carbon, CleanTech, Energy, Environment, Solar, Waste Management. Access Here.
• PlatoHealth. Biotech and Clinical Trials Intelligence. Access Here.
• ChartPrime. Elevate your Trading Game with ChartPrime. Access Here.
• BlockOffsets. Modernizing Environmental Offset Ownership. Access Here.
• Source: https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2023/08/uaws-fain-rallies-members-for-battle-with-automakers/