UAW: Stellantis strike could start 'within weeks'

The UAW said Wednesday that "a strike at one or more Stellantis facilities could begin within weeks."

The announcement of a possible time frame for a strike against the owner of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat came as part of the union's promotion of a "Keep The Promise at Stellantis Rally" scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

More: Stellantis accuses UAW of proposing new jobs bank; union calls it false comparison

"UAW members, lawmakers and allies are rallying on Thursday to demand that Stellantis keep its promise to invest in good American jobs," according to a news release. The union has held other rallies in recent weeks in Sterling Heights and Warren .

The union accuses Stellantis of not keeping its investment commitments in the contract negotiated last year. That includes the reopening of the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, which the company says has been delayed.

Stellantis. citing contract language that it says allows it to adjust to volatile market conditions, says a strike in this situation would be illegal, which the union disputes. The company has also filed numerous lawsuits over what it calls "sham grievances" filed by the union with the company, noting that it intends to seek monetary damages. Union locals have been filing grievances with the company as they move toward strike authorization votes. Strike authorization from the locals, however, does not necessarily guarantee a strike will happen.

On Tuesday, Stellantis issued a statement saying it was contesting a strike authorization vote held by UAW Local 186, which represents workers at a Stellantis parts hub in the Denver area. The union said that in addition to votes in favor of strike authorization that have taken place in Denver and Los Angeles, more locals are "on track" to hold votes soon.

More: Stellantis reports 20% drop in 3rd quarter US sales, with Chrysler and Dodge hit hard

UAW President Shawn Fain, in the Wednesday rally announcement, said the union will push Stellantis to follow through on its agreement.

“The commitments we won in our contract aren’t goals, they’re guarantees. The company claims they don’t have the money to make these investments. But since the year began, they’ve dumped more than $3 billion into stock buybacks. They have the money to keep the promise,” Fain said.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com . Become a subscriber . Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters .

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: UAW: Stellantis strike could start 'within weeks'