The United Automobile Workers (U.A.W.) union has announced a bold campaign aimed at organizing plants owned by over a dozen nonunion automakers, including Tesla and several foreign companies. This move has been a longstanding goal for the U.A.W.
The announcement follows the U.A.W.’s success in negotiating new contracts with General Motors, Ford Motor, and Stellantis, which included substantial wage increases over a four and a half year period for its 146,000 members.
Aside from Tesla, the campaign targets two other electric vehicle start-ups, Lucid and Rivian, as well as 10 foreign-owned automakers: Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mazda, and Volvo.
Securing a foothold among these companies could potentially signal a significant shift in the American auto industry, where nonunion manufacturers have historically held a considerable cost advantage over Detroit automakers.
The U.A.W. stated that the organizing initiative was prompted by inquiries from several thousand workers at nonunion plants.
According to the union’s president, Shawn Fain, workers from various regions are expressing a strong interest in joining the U.A.W. and its movement.
To facilitate the process, the U.A.W. has launched websites where workers can electronically sign union cards, officially certifying their desire for union representation. At some plants, the U.A.W. has already received signed cards from over 30% of the workforce, a threshold required under federal law to proceed with a vote on unionization.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
