UAWD’s Electric Vehicle Organizing Committee responds to the UAW’s statement about the new Ford battery plant in Marshall, Michigan:
As the transition toward electric vehicles accelerates, we are seeing more and more how corporations are using it to divide workers and weaken unions. In a recent announcement, Ford, which is getting close to $1 billion in funding and tax incentives from the state of Michigan to build a new electric vehicle battery plant, shared its plans to pay workers at the new plant substantially less than what they would receive under the current UAW-Ford contract.
In response, the UAW, under the leadership of President Ray Curry and the Administration Caucus, continues to reveal that their strategy for the electric vehicle transition is to give the companies what they want. In a statement released on February 13, instead of charting a worker-led strategy for the EV transition, the UAW praised Ford for a decision to open a new battery plant in Marshall, Michigan.
This new plant is not a third-party facility nor a joint venture, it will be wholly-owned by Ford. So why is UAW Vice President Chuck Browning saying “the UAW will be able to organize this new facility using a card check to prove majority interest?” Why not fight to demand Ford agree to bring this new plant under the current UAW-Ford contract from day one?
We know that companies will use any shift in production practices to divide workers, but we don’t have to accept that. These will be Ford workers working on auto manufacturing, and we should demand that they be under the master agreement automatically, which the contract allows for when new plants are opened. They should not be working for inferior pay and benefits!
Instead of using this as an opportunity to set the terms of the EV transition and reject the creation of new EV tiers, the UAW is congratulating Ford for keeping the work in the United States. Instead of building solidarity between ICE and EV workers and fighting for job security, the UAW is parroting management talking points that the plant will create new jobs.
It’s time we oppose the notion that electric vehicles are some sort of separate division that should have its own contractual provisions. All Big Three plants should be under the UAW master agreement. It’s time for a real worker-led strategy for the EV transition.
If you’re concerned about these issues and would like to organize with us on a just worker-led EV transition, you can reach out to [email protected] or fill out this form to show your interest!