Luis Feliz Leon writes for In These Times:
Yesterday afternoon, UAW Local 551 member Marcelina Pedraza said her coworkers at the Chicago Assembly plant were anxiously awaiting the news of the next targets.
“Everybody’s on edge,” said Pedraza, who is also a member of the reform caucus Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD). “It’s like the NFL draft picks. Are we going to be called next? Are we going to get a tentative agreement?”
She said workers were looking forward to Fain’s Facebook bargaining update, crediting the reform leadership with greater transparency and information sharing.
“My last two contracts were, ‘bargaining is going fine,’” she said, repeating what previous administrations said. “Then eventually, ‘Here’s a shitty contract, we want you to vote yes on it.’”
When Pedraza clocked out Thursday, she and her skilled trades coworkers joked with the supervisor: “See you next week — maybe?”
Pedraza and her coworkers will make 25,000 autoworkers now on picket lines as part of the union’s escalating “stand-up strike,” out of 146,000 UAW members at the Big Three.
I’m still very hopeful that we can reach a deal that reflects the incredible sacrifices and contributions our members have made over the last decade.
“These guys wanted to go out a long time ago,” said Cody Zaremba, a Local 602 member at the Lansing GM plant after the news broke that his plant would be joining the strike. “We’re ready. Everybody, truly, I believe, in the entire membership. They’re one with what’s going on.” […]
Nonstrikers’ morale on the factory floor has gotten a boost from rank and filers organizing to refuse voluntary overtime. With support both from Fain and the reform caucus Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), workers have been encouraging each other to “Eight and Skate,” meaning to turn down extra work and decline to do management any favors.
Read more in In These Times.