Solidarity for UAW Strike in Toledo
For the first time in history, members of the United Auto Workers union are on strike at three of the nation’s top auto makers: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.
Rather than having all 145,000 members of the union across the country walk off the job, leaders have selected one large assembly plant for each company to strike first.
One of those plants is Stellantis Assembly Center in Toledo, Ohio, where about 5,800 workers walked off the job at midnight on Friday after nearly two months of failed negotiations between the companies and the union. They said they plan on striking until an agreement can be reached.
“This is just the beginning,” Jeremiah Laguna, a member of UAW Local 12, said. “It’s disheartening because we’re the ones who are building the product, and people here, especially the two-tier system, can’t even afford the product,” Laguna said. “We’re being forced overtime in a lot of areas and times and you know, we’re living here. What’s the benefit? So they can make the money and buy multimillion dollar homes and have other vacation places and sorry, you’ve gotta work this weekend.”
Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga joined the picket line this past Sunday to ensure the UAW members that the state labor federation has their back.
"Since the auto rescue in 2009, these workers have been sacrificing wages, time with their families, and working under a two-tier system to ensure the success of the companies," Burga said. "Now, the companies are making huge profits while engaging in stock-buybacks to enrich the executives. It's time the workers get their fair share.”