We recently profiled incoming UAW President Shawn Fain, who has his work cut out for him in a few ways. Not only is he tasked with repairing the reputation of a notoriously corrupt union, but as a “reform” candidate, his camp is reportedly concerned about his ability to be seen as credible by rank-and-file workers within a six-month window.
With that clock ticking, Fain has declared war on the Detroit Big Three automakers as the “only true enemy.” He demanded that automakers transition jobs for gas-powered autos into EV jobs without pay cuts, which is an unrealistic “want” when EVs are more expensive to produce than their traditional counterparts. Fain is additionally concerned about EV job losses, which has led him to do the seemingly unthinkable – withhold an endorsement for the most union-friendly presidential administration in history.
Fain’s condition for handing over that shiny trinket: For Biden to “address” the subject of EV jobs, which Fain insists are an afterthought for the administration in its haste to pour billions into subsidizing the EV transition. Fain wants a “commitment to workers” from Biden, who he hopes will establish requirements for transitioning workers into EV jobs as a condition for receiving federal subsidies.
Since Biden, currently sitting at his lowest polling numbers thus far, will likely struggle in his reelection bid, Fain might receive what he’s requesting. After all, Biden can use all the union endorsements he can get.
Here are more UAW-related updates for the month:
- A Metal-Matic strike finally ended after two months at an Illinois steel plant. The company and UAW reached an agreement including terms for “equal pay for equal work,” which could speak to future success for Fain in his vow to push automakers to abolish tiered-pay Stay tuned on that note.
- EV battery plant talks: These will be a top priority for Fain, who wishes to come out of fall contract negotiations with higher wages from GM, Ford, and Stellanis. After proclaiming that the Big Three have “no excuse” for running non-union factories, Fain visited the Ultium Cells GM-LG joint venture EV plant to spread his message. He further suggested that joint ventures were formed to help companies avoid existing union master agreements.
- A new EV partnership: The UAW forged an agreement with Sparkz, a California-based EV battery manufacturer. Both parties signed a memo of understanding geared towards “establishing a national labor-management agreement and statement of neutrality.”
Tesla on the hot seat: According to an NLRB judge, the company illegally silenced Florida factory workers on wages and other job-related issues.
