Union Autoworkers Have Officially Finalized Their Deal with General Motors by Arianna Coghill
November 16, 2023
Complete Article (less photograph):
(Mother Jones) One down, two to go.
The United Auto Workers union, in a closely watched vote, has officially ratified its deal with General Motors, bringing the months-long saga of history-making strikes to a close. On Thursday, the union posted the final results, showing that approximately 55 percent of the 36,000 GM union members voted in favor of the deal, according to Forbes.
Since September, union members, under the leadership of President Shawn Fain, have been mobilizing against the nation’s three largest automakers—Ford, GM, and Stellantis—to demand better pay and working conditions. It’s the first time such an extensive labor action has upended the centuries-old industry. With GM being the final automaker to agree to a new a deal, the end of this chapter in the monumental fight for labor rights is now on the horizon.
The final contract for General Motors’ employees includes 25 percent pay increases over the next four years, cost of living adjustments to combat inflation, and organizing opportunities for other non-unionized automakers in the US, according to a UAW statement from October. While the votes on the remaining contracts with Ford and Stellantis are still pending, they are expected to pass, according to CNBC.
Mother Jones Editor’s note: The author of this post and other Mother Jones workers are represented by UAW Local 2103.
'Biggest Ever Global Strike Against Amazon' Kicks Off on Black Friday by Jake Johnson
November 24, 2023
Introduction:
(Common Dreams) Amazon workers and allies in dozens of countries around the world took to the streets Friday to protest the e-commerce behemoth's atrocious working conditions, low pay, union busting, tax dodging, and inaction on planet-warming emissions.
The "Make Amazon Pay" strikes and rallies coincided with Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year and one of Amazon's most profitable. Amazon workers across the globe—in ever-larger numbers—have been walking off the job on Black Friday for years to demand better treatment from the $1.5 trillion company.
"This day of action grows every year because the movement to hold Amazon accountable keeps getting bigger and stronger," said Christy Hoffman, general-secretary of UNI Global Union. "Workers know that it doesn't matter what country you're in or what your job title is, we are all united in the fight for higher wages, an end to unreasonable quotas, and a voice on the job."
Organizers of the worldwide demonstrations said strikes and protests are set to take place in more than 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Bangladesh.
"From the warehouses in Coventry to the factories of Dhaka, this global day of action is more than a protest," Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, co-general coordinator of Progressive International, said in a statement. "It is a worldwide declaration that this age of abuse must end."
Can New York City’s Infrastructure Boom Change the Face of Its Workforce? by Sara Herschander
November 24, 2023
Introduction:
(Capital & Main) After seven years working in construction, Samuel Wattree knew a union apprenticeship could be his ticket to better pay and stability — if he could get his foot in the door.
Following a stint in prison, Wattree, now 39 a father of three, had found his purpose in ironwork: “It was love at first sight,” he said. “I wanted to give myself a shot at life.”
Yet joining a union was “not as easy as everyone thinks,” even for an experienced craftsman, Wattree explained, noting that there were roughly 200 slots for every 2,000 candidates. Like many, he had no luck on the recruitment lines that used to wrap around the corners of the Construction and General Building Laborers’ Local 79 or Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — until one day last year while working in Coney Island when he bumped into an old friend who gave him a big break — a referral for a pre-apprenticeship program that sent him straight to the front of the line.
Over the past decade, a patchwork of pre-apprenticeship programs for underrepresented women and workers of color like Wattree has been quietly transforming New York City’s infrastructure workforce. It couldn’t be coming at a more critical juncture. With the city poised to receive billions from the federal government’s $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, reformers see an unprecedented opportunity to supercharge their efforts to build a more inclusive construction industry.
The United Auto Workers union says it is trying to unionize employees at 13 companies that build cars in the U.S.
The UAW announced its campaign with the launch of a new website detailing the skyrocketing profits and Chief Executive Officer pay at these companies. Here is a link to that website:
Chattanooga Volkswagen Workers Announce Push to Join UAW by Jake Johnson
December 7, 2023
Introduction:
(Common Dreams) Workers at Volkswagen's only U.S. plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee announced Thursday that they're launching a public organizing committee with the goal of joining the United Auto Workers, which is aiming to expand its membership to include employees at more than a dozen nonunion car companies after winning historic contracts at the Big Three.
In less than a week, more than 1,000 workers at the Volkswagen plant signed union authorization cards, giving the nascent union drive more than 30% support so far at the Chattanooga location.
The UAW narrowly failed to organize the plant in 2014 and 2019. But leaders of the new unionization push expressed confidence that the outcome would be different this time around as the newly emboldened UAW puts special emphasis on the South, where the unionization rate is significantly lower than in the rest of the country.
"People are standing up like never before," said Steve Cochran, a lead organizer of the Chattanooga union drive. "There are a lot of young workers in the plant now and this generation wants respect. They're not okay with mistreatment by management. They see what's happening at Starbucks and Amazon. They know that standing up to join the union is how you win fair treatment, fair pay, and a better life."
Organizers pointed to the $184 billion in profits that Volkswagen Group has brought in over the past decade while workers' wages have stagnated or declined.
