United Auto Workers Fine Union President Announces Plans for Stellantis Strike Vote

New York
CNN
—

United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fine said Tuesday the union plans to hold a strike authorization vote against Stellantis because the automaker has failed to live up to guarantees it made during a labor agreement reached last year.

In a speech to members Tuesday evening, Fine said the UAW was prepared to hold a strike authorization vote in one or more localities representing Stellantis workers and push those workers to strike if the company did not meet the union’s demands.

During the speech, which was broadcast live, Fine said the union “will hold strike authorization votes at one or more Stellantis local locations. We will stand united to enforce our contract and save American jobs.”

Strike calls are common when a contract is coming to an end and negotiations for a new deal begin. In the past, the union has agreed not to strike during the term of the contract.

But the union has won the right to strike during the 2023 contract period with Stellantis, GM and Ford if there are plant closures or other violations of job protections. If such a strike occurs, it would be unprecedented.

“We are 100 percent right and within our authority to take strike action if necessary,” Fine said. “We are prepared to take strike action to force Stellantis to keep its promise.”

Stellantis, which makes vehicles in North America under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands, had 43,000 UAW members at 19 plants nationwide at the time of last year’s strike. Since only some local plants would vote to strike, it’s likely that only some of the plants would strike. But even a limited strike could affect operations at other Stellantis facilities.

Stellantis issued a statement Tuesday denying that it had decided to move Dodge Durango production to Canada, or that it had breached the contract. It said it still had time during the four-and-a-half years of the contract to meet agreed investment targets and vehicle production commitments.

In response to CNN, the company said: “It is not surprising that these commitments were not fully met in the first year. Sean Fine continues to claim that the company breached the contract, but has yet to provide any data or information to support his claims. Instead, he continues to deliberately damage the company’s reputation with his public attacks that do no good to anyone, including his members.”

The company said these issues should be addressed in talks between the two sides.

“The strike benefits no one – our customers, our dealers, the community, and most importantly, our employees,” the company said in a statement.

Fine had earlier criticized a statement Stellantis issued on Monday after the union alleged the automaker was engaging in unfair labor practices. The statement said the company carefully manages how and when new vehicles are brought to market.

“We are not the problem. The market is not the problem. (Stellantis CEO) Carlos Tavares is the problem,” he said.

This story has been updated with additional information.