End Abuse of Temporary Workers
UAWD Priority resolutions for
the 2023 Bargaining Convention
Resolutions to End Abuse of Temporary Workers & Eliminate Long Term Temporary Status
The Big Three auto companies have kept large amounts of temporary employees longer than the traditional 90-day period, paying these workers less and dividing our union. It’s time we demand and organize for prompt full employment status to begin after 90 days.
Update: This resolution was not considered at the 2023 Bargaining Convention.
Background
- Historically, manufacturing workers in UAW plants earned permanent employee status after ninety (90) days. The 2008-2010 crisis led to concessionary UAW contracts, which resulted in normalizing the practice of keeping long-term temporary employees that would become bargaining chips in subsequent contract negotiations.
- Big Three auto companies have kept large amounts of temporary employees longer than ninety (90) days, often numbering in the hundreds at some facilities.
- Now that the Big 3 automakers have enjoyed record profits for a decade, UAWD is resolved to end long-term temporary status for workers. This status is unfair, even abusive, to these employees and contrary to the unity of the UAW.
- The UAW must reject the extension of the practice of Big Three auto manufacturers holding employees at temporary status past ninety (90) days and fight to ensure workers are promptly hired and become full-time employees as soon as possible.
Opposition from the Administration Caucus
- The concessionary contracts negotiated by the AC paved the way for expanding the ranks of long-term temporary employees, to the point where many new personnel at UAW plants now start as temps.
- The AC has not organized or prepared the membership to strike to defend the temporary workers that are often working on the same line and doing the same work as their fully employed union siblings.
WHY ELIMINATING TEMP ABUSE MATTERS
- Halting the practice of allowing these extended-temporary is in the interest of all auto workers: Both because hiring these workers promptly improves the lives of these workers and endears them to the UAW and the labor movement, and current workers will not have to compete with workers who do not enjoy the same rights and benefits for similar jobs.
- Allowing temp status to be abused reinforces management’s myth that tiered wages and benefits leads to lower product costs, when, in fact, the experience, insight and teamwork of experienced full-time employees is the surest route to better quality and productivity.
- New, contract-enforceable rules for temporary workers would bring UAW protections, pay and benefits more quickly and predictably to temp workers, and provide them with a clear-cut decision point on their futures as full-time employees and UAW Members.
- For those in other UAW sectors, contract provisions on temporary employees would balance the need for workplace flexibility with the rights of workers to a measure of predictability in their employment status.
- Ending precarious, long-term temporary employment is important in all UAW sectors, so that workers in all sectors are no longer at management’s mercy for their jobs.
- We must restore a system that worked for decades—a well-defined probationary period to test a new worker on the job, followed by a timely decision on full-time permanent employment—bringing the pay, benefits and protections that come with UAW Membership.
Draft Resolutions
Eliminate Long-Term Temporary Status
Whereas, the Big Three auto companies have all enjoyed record profits for the past decade-plus since the end of the 2008-2010 automotive industry crisis that saw two of them near bankruptcy; and
Whereas, the concessionary contracts resulting from that crisis led to concessionary contracts that, among other things, resulted in normalization of long-term temporary employees numbering in the hundreds at some facilities for longer than ninety (90) days; and
Whereas, these workers held in temporary status frequently do not see themselves as equals with their permanently hired union siblings, lacking both the rights and the benefits package that serve to attract and retain workers who would become staunch unionists in auto manufacturing; and
Whereas, halting the practice of extended-temporary workers is in the interest of all auto workers: Both because hiring these workers promptly improves the lives of these workers and endears them to the UAW and the labor movement, and current workers will not have to compete with workers who do not enjoy the same rights and benefits for similar jobs; and
Whereas, the UAW must reject the extension of the practice of Big Three auto manufacturers holding employees at temporary status past one hundred nineteen (119) days and fight to ensure workers are promptly hired and become full-time employees as soon as possible;
Therefore be it resolved, the UAW shall reject management proposals for contract language that extends the practice of allowing the auto manufacturers to retain temporary workers past one hundred nineteen (119) days of employment, striking if necessary to achieve these goals;
Be it further resolved, the UAW must take the position that temporary workers who have been employed for more than one hundred nineteen (119) days will be immediately converted to full-time employment while retaining pay levels achieved as temporary workers;
Be it further resolved, that the UAW will seek an appropriate compensation for post-employment income and benefits for those employees kept in long-term temporary status; and
Be it finally resolved, that contract language will be modified to provide that upon reaching 90 days of employment in any status entitles that member to representational rights equal to all other members.
End Abuse of Temporary Workers
Whereas, the Big Three auto companies have all enjoyed record profits for the past decade-plus since the 2008-2010 automotive industry crisis which saw two of them on the verge of bankruptcy, leading to the concessionary contracts which resulted in normalizing the practice of keeping long-term temporary employees that would become bargaining chips in subsequent contract negotiations.
Whereas, the Big Three auto companies have kept large amounts of aforementioned temporary employees longer than ninety (90) days, often numbering in the hundreds at some facilities.
Whereas, these workers held in temporary status frequently do not see themselves as equals with their hired union siblings, lacking the rights and benefits package that makes having a job in auto manufacturing at all attractive to workers who may grow to become staunch unionists.
Whereas, halting the practice of allowing these extended-temporary is in the interest of all auto workers: Both because hiring these workers promptly improves the lives of these workers and endears them to the UAW and the labor movement, and current workers will not have to compete with workers who do not enjoy the same rights and benefits for similar jobs.
Whereas, the UAW must reject the extension of the practice of Big Three auto manufacturers holding employees at temporary status past ninety (90) days and fight to ensure workers are promptly hired and become full-time employees as soon as possible.
Therefore be it resolved, the UAW shall reject management proposals for contract language that extends the practice of allowing the auto manufacturers to retain temporary workers past ninety (90) days of employment, striking if necessary to achieve these goals.
Be it further resolved, the UAW must take the position that temporary workers who have been employed for more than ninety (90) days will be immediately converted to full-time employment.
Be it further resolved, the UAW’s initial proposal during bargaining will include an end to the practice of workers being held at temporary status beyond ninety (90) days within the Big Three master agreement.
Be it further resolved, this effort should be part of a UAW-wide strategy to reject tiers of all kinds in all management proposals.
2023 Convention
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