Last week, we promised more coverage of Shawn Fain’s antics, and here we go. To briefly refresh, the UAW chief went into overdrive following his “stand-up strike” against the Big Three, and he vowed more chaos to come: “Now we’re going to organize like we’ve never organized before.”
The Big Three contracts didn’t pass with unanimous approval, perhaps because 25% wage boosts by 2028 is far from the 46% that Fain targeted. The deals did survive, but what choice did workers have at that point? Strike pay wasn’t covering workers’ bills. Also, he’s not done yet.
Fain’s new goal: To take the UAW back to its heyday of 1.5 million members rather than the 380,000 or so (with 25%+ from higher education) of 2023. He’s beating that drum like the Energizer Bunny. That might be easier said than done, especially when you look at the actual facts about wages and other benefits for non-union workers in auto manufacturing.
He spoke at an MLK Day tribute ceremony this week and dropped the following catchphrases:
- “Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point.”
- “Either we go up together, or we go down together.”
- “This is our generation’s defining moment, so let’s honor the legacy of Dr King. Let’s stand up and get to it!”
After the UAW’s recent deal with Allison Transmission, what’s next?
Fain hopes to organize 13 non-union automakers with a potential 170,000 members up for grabs. And yes, Fain noticed that several of these companies upped hourly wages – Toyota (9%), Honda (11%), Volkswagen (11%), and Hyundai (25% by 2028).
Fain attempts to take credit for these increases, which he labeled these raises as union benefits for non-union members. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that employers are struggling to hang on to workers as it is, especially as the age of the workforce declines (GenZ, etc.) and are more willing to go looking. Employers have been increasing wages for a while.
Here is how Fain’s newest efforts are going:
- Volkswagen: 1,000+ workers signed union authorization cards at the Chattanooga plant. That adds up to over 30% of the bargaining unit thus far, which is higher than the UAW managed in 2019 and 2014.
- Mercedes-Benz: The 30% mark has been reached at the Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant. The union plans to rally after 50% (at the VW plant also) and demand recognition at 70%.
- Tesla: Rumor has it that covert organizing efforts are ongoing at Tesla. Meanwhile, all U.S. production workers will receive a “market adjustment pay increase.” Notably, CEO Elon Musk has also made no secret of his distaste for unions. In 2022, he even threw down the gauntlet and dared the UAW to try to unionize Tesla’s employees.
Fain has taken that dare: “When we return to the bargaining table in 2028, it won’t just be with the Big Three, but with the Big Five or Big Six.”
Not so fast? Increased labor costs for the Big Three were inevitably going to lead to layoffs somewhere, and a fearful Stellantis Toledo Jeep worker recently wondered aloud why Fain doesn’t seem to care: “Now that he got the contract passed, none of his Facebook Live posts are about us. Now he is trying to get Toyota, Honda, and Tesla.”
He sure is. Fain’s singular focus appears to be a sheer numbers game, and time will tell if non-union workers will take his bait or appreciate that their newfound raises won’t be minimized by paying union dues.
