UAW President Shawn Fain announces strike authorization votes against Stellantis

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain announced Tuesday he will take "strike action" against Stellantis for failing to follow through on a deal that ended last year's six-week strike.

"Tonight I am announcing in the coming days, we will be convening our Stellantis counsel in Detroit. We will also be holding strike authorization votes at one or more Stellantis locales. And we will stand united to enforce our contract and save American jobs," Fain told union members Tuesday night during a live-streamed speech.

Stellantis employs approximately 300,000 workers around the world and produces 16 vehicle brands including Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Alfa Romeo.

The collective bargaining agreement, reached between Stellantis and North American union members last October following a six-week strike , included a commitment for the automaker to reopen its Belvidere assembly plant in Illinois and to build the Dodge Durango in Detroit.

"Last week the company confirmed that they are planning to violate our contract once again by moving production of the Dodge Durango from the Detroit Assembly Complex to Canada. This will kill thousands of jobs right here in America," Fain warned Tuesday, adding "it is a flagrant violation of our contract."

"So yesterday, we began filing a new round of grievances over the Durango. Because it is clear this company will not stop at Belvidere."

During his speech, Fain blasted Stellantis for trying to delay investment in its Belvidere plant until after the current contract expires.

"By pushing the product outside the date of the agreement, that means we have no agreement," Fain argued.

"Over the past 25 years, Stellantis has sold or closed or idled 18 manufacturing facilities, killing tens of thousands of jobs and decimating communities and ripping families apart," Fain said. "That happened despite record profits over the past decade."

"Plant closures are bombs dropped by corporate America on the working class," Fain added. "There comes a time when we have to stand up. For our UAW family at Stellantis, that time is now."

Last year's contract deal with Stellantis, General Motors and Ford allows union members to strike during the contract over any job protection violations or plant closures. In the past, the union had agreed not to strike during the life of the agreement.

"There is one clause in our contract that Stellantis is very, very worried about. In our 2023 contract negotiations, we made damn sure to not just win billions in product and investment commitments, we fought for and won the right to strike," Fain said. "We did this because we've all seen the Big Three trample on our agreements over the years."

While Stellantis had not commented Tuesday night on the UAW's plan to hold strike authorization votes, Fain vowed to keep fighting and force the company to honor its commitments.

"Last year in our strike, we went on offense and we won," Fain said. "Stellantis wants everyone to believe they simply can't afford to keep their commitments to American autoworkers. But let's be clear, Stellantis is one of the most profitable auto companies in the world."

"We are 100% within our rights and within our power to take strike action if necessary," Fain told members Tuesday. "And we are prepared to take strike action to make Stellantis keep the promise."