The US auto market has once again been the focus of strong discussions, with the UAW union and Stellantis as the main rivals. United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain has made public the very real possibility of an impending strike for Stellantis workers, starting a new major clash between unions and auto giants. As mentioned previously at other times, the UAW union’s decision would stem from Stellantis’ failure to fulfill some of the union agreements made in 2023.
UAW v. Stellantis: the interview with Shawn Fain
Shawn Fain ( United Auto Workers union President) in a live streaming held on Tuesday evening, September 17, stressed that the union is ready to take action if it were necessary. The president announced that the entire union considers itself fully within its rights and especially within its power to undertake a mass strike if the need arose. In a fairly heated speech, the great determination on the part of the UAW was stressed, to try to enforce the contract with Stellantis in an effort to safeguard all American jobs. This possible large strike, should it be confirmed, could cause an unprecedented event in America’s auto industry, where several protest actions have already been held.
Stellantis, on its side, promptly rejected the UAW‘s accusations, stating that these were completely unfounded and damaging to the company’s worldwide reputation. The manufacturer reiterated again that its commitment to fulfilling contract agreements is utmost, while also pointing out that the timeframe for putting the much talked about investments into practice is still very large.
The potential repercussions of a strike on the U.S. auto industry
Stellantis, producing vehicles under the Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep and Ram brands in North America, generates employment for about 43,000 members for the UAW union in as many as 19 different plants. Even if the forecasts did not entirely take into account that all plants will participate in a mass strike vote, even if it were to happen in part it could still disrupt production lines at other similar plants.
So even if the strike were not total, it would still be very significant, and it would affect the whole industry. The consequences are what we already know, namely problems on the vehicle supply chain and availability of cars in the market. Obviously then, these recurring tensions could also trigger problems in other sectors of the industry in general.
Unions are taking more and more specific action in response to this
The UAW’s dispute with Stellantis takes on the significance of great change that has occurred in recent years between labor and capital in the United States. Unions, partly because of this current dispute, are taking more and more specific steps so as to try to regain the ground that has actually been lost over the past few years. In this case, companies are obliged to pay special attention, as they are faced with workers who are much more aware of their working conditions and rights. Now following the live streaming that just took place with UAW President Fain, big news is expected in the coming days, in which a strike vote may occur in the U.S. Stellantis plants.