Let’s consider what’s happened since the UAW and the Big 3 have settled on new contracts. Those contracts elevated wages by 27%, have cost-of-living adjustments, an eradication of tiered employment, better retirement, among other provisions.
The UAW strike at the Big Three was well engineered to get results, It was based upon the promise Shawn Fain made to his members: “[to] transform the UAW into a member-led, fighting union once again”
It explains why this new concept of a strike was such an expensive venture for the auto industry. And, that is not including the increased pay that will be paid over the next four years. Ford and GM both acknowledge they lost $ 1 billion during the strike. But, there are more results from this strike. Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda all “voluntarily” raised the wages of their workers. That’s how effective this new version of the UAW strike process has been.
That also explains why the UAW has determined to double its auto industry membership now. They plan to go after the 150000 non-union autoworkers. (That means thefirms Honda, Toyota, Tesla, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Subaru, and Volkwagen are the targets.) It’s a steep climb, since most of these plants are in the southern states; local laws and politics make it really difficult to garner a toehold there. (The UAW has tried in the past and failed; once by less than two score votes.)
The UAW will have to cajole the workers to get 30% of those at an automotive plan to sign an authorization card. (Note: The UAW claims that many workers have signed the authorization cards, but details are being withheld. Which means not much cajoling is necessary!) But, that’s a process that will have to be followed again and again for all the plants they want to unionize.
That may explain why the UAW has brought in Brian Shepherd, a US Navy veteran, who was instrumental in organizing the large healthcare union of the SEIU (Service Employees International Union). He is also active in social justice arenas. (Shepherd is now the organizing director of the UAW.)
Once they have reached that 30% threshold, an organizing committee starts working. (The NLRB dictates this process once the 30% of workers have signed the authorization card.) The goal is to hit 50% and then have the dynamic leader of the UAW, Shawn Fain, hold a rally. Should they be able to reach a 70% sign-on, the UAW will demand voluntary recognition of the union. Should the company demur, the UAW will file for an election with the NLRB to allow for the unionization.
The union seems to have chosen the Georgetown (KY) facility of Toyota among the first targets. This plant builds the RAV-4, Camry, and Lexus ES. But, that is just one among some three dozen targets.
The goal is then when the bargaining restarts in 2028, it won’t just be among the big , but with five or six auto manufacturers.
And, it’s touting the benefits of a unionized force not just to workers and the the Big 3, but to all the auto manufacturers. A union house is stable house- they tend to stay when they are paid reasonable wages. With benefits, they also tend to stay. Also, safe work environments are also part other conditions of a union house.
We’ll see hat happens with this unionizing effort.
