UAW Expanding Organizing Efforts Following Contract Victories at Tesla, BMW, and Beyond

November 29, 2023 By admin Off

The United Auto Workers union is launching a campaign to organize workers at 13 non-union automakers, including Tesla, BMW, and Nissan. “To all the autoworkers out there working without the benefits of a union: Now it’s your turn,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a video statement. Workers at Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mazda, Rivian, Lucid, and Volvo are also part of the “unprecedented” effort. Nearly 150,000 autoworkers are involved, some of whom have already signed union cards. “When we return to the bargaining table in 2028, it won’t just be with the Big Three but with the Big Five or Big Six,” Fain said earlier this month, previewing the organizing drive. The push comes after the UAW won raises and other gains in new contracts with the Big Three Detroit automakers after weeks on strike. In response to the new labor deals for the unionized workers, Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai gave its workers raises, which Fain described as the “UAW bump” for “U Are Welcome”. “Workers across the country, from the West to the Midwest and especially in the South, are reaching out to join our movement and to join the UAW,” Fain said in the video. “The money is there. The time is right. And the answer is simple. You don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck. You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay your rent or feed your family while the company makes billions.”