Let's Show Stellantis We Are United in the Fight to Save UAW Jobs
UAW members at Stellantis can order a FREE Keep the Promise Toolkit:
1) “Strike Ready” stickers to wear with your team at work
2) Leaflets with information on common questions about the strike vote (Preview Here)
Why are Stellantis locals voting to authorize a strike?
In our 2023 contracts, we won a commitment from Stellantis to reopen the closed plant in Belvidere and to make other critical investments in the Belvidere community. In August, the company declared their intent to back out of all those commitments. In September, they announced their plan to violate our contract yet again by moving production of the Dodge Durango from JNAP to Canada.
On September 26, all 200 members of the UAW Stellantis Council unanimously recommended that every UAW worker at Stellantis prepare for a fight and vote YES to authorize a strike. The Council committed to “bring this momentum back to our locals, engage our members, and prepare for the steps ahead”.
Is it legal for us to strike over these contract violations?
We won the right to strike over the “311 Letter” which lays out the company’s contractual obligations over product & investment. The company is trying to scare us out of enforcing our contract by claiming the contract affords them flexibility based on “market conditions”. But we know this isn’t a market problem, it’s a Stellantis problem; Ford and GM are doing much better under the same conditions.
What happens if we vote “YES”?
If we vote “YES” we send the message that we’re prepared to stand together to defeat corporate greed. Our unity is our greatest power, and the responsibility we carry to defend our jobs has never been more crucial. Authorizing a strike does NOT necessarily mean that we will strike. Like the Stand Up Strike, we have the option to strike at any plant(s), and then expand if the company does NOT do the right thing.
What happens if we vote “NO”?
Voting “NO” sends an open invitation to Stellantis to keep violating its commitments in our contract. If the company won’t keep their word in Belvidere, why would they keep their word on any of the $18 billion in commitments they made to invest across all of our plants? For years, the company picked us off plant by plant, and we lacked the will and the means to fight back. Now, we can stick together to hold Stellantis accountable.
Stellantis is already cutting jobs. Do we have leverage in a strike?
If Stellantis doesn’t think a strike would affect their profits, why did they send a robo-call to every member urging us to vote “NO”? Stellantis relied on the North American market for 45% of its $85B revenue in the first half of this year — substantially more than any other region, including Europe. From stamping to assembly to parts distribution, UAW members can hugely impact Stellantis’s American supply chain. Authorizing a strike adds a tool to our toolbox that we can use when, where, and how it will have the greatest impact.
The company is also facing increasing pressure from investors. A strike threat would put even greater pressure on the corporate leadership, which is responsible for getting the situation under control.
