UAW, allies rally in Trenton, get congressional support in fight against Stellantis

Last September, UAW members rallied at Local 372 to send a message to Stellantis, that Trenton Engine needs and deserves product.

On Wednesday afternoon, more than a year after workers at the union hall that serves the engine plant's UAW members made their appeal, members were back again.

This time, they rallied ahead of a strike authorization vote on Nov. 13, as the union and its supporters call on the owner of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler and Dodge to honor commitments made in the contract negotiated last year. In addition to concerns about company commitments elsewhere, Trenton Engine workers worry about a lack of product commitment in the years to come at their plant.

More: Stellantis to expand Mexico plant as US truck factory nears capacity, automaker says

Kent Fowler, 53, a machinist who has spent 30 years at the plant and lives in Ypsilanti, said he thinks the strike authorization vote will pass because there’s “a lot of pissed off people” and the company isn’t being fair to workers who spend so much of their lives at the plant.

“Promises (are) made, and they’re not getting kept,” he said.

A “yes” vote by a majority in Trenton doesn’t necessarily mean a strike will happen, but union officials are urging members to support the authorization effort. So far, three locals have already done so as the union’s grievance process plays out against the automaker. Stellantis calls them “sham grievances” and has filed lawsuits against the locals in an effort to stop the strike effort, which it says would be illegal.

The company says its decision to delay the reopening of the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois and other actions, including layoffs at numerous plants and cutting a shift at Warren Truck Assembly, are the result of market conditions. Stellantis, which reported hefty profits last year, has a slew of issues now, from its fights with the UAW, shareholders and its dealers, to excess inventory, down sales and profits, lowered financial guidance and a stock price that is less than half of what it was earlier this year.

More: Stellantis reports 20% drop in global vehicle shipments as automaker faces scrutiny

Union officials, including UAW President Shawn Fain, Stellantis Department head Kevin Gotinsky and Local 372 President Dave Gerbi, were joined by numerous politicians, including U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and state Rep. Jaime Churches, D-Wyandotte, who pushed back on the company’s position at the union hall Wednesday.

Dingell said lawmakers had sent a letter to Stellantis about the issues. Reuters reported Wednesday that almost 80 members of Congress, including the Senate’s top Democrats, had urged the company to honor investment commitments in the UAW contract. That follows a similar call from a White House spokesperson in recent weeks.

“Stellantis signed that contract, and UAW signed that contract in good faith because commitments made are commitments legally that must be kept," Dingell said, noting later that “you know where Stellantis makes its money? From the United States of America and American workers.”

From the UAW, Fain pointed to General Motors’ earnings reported this week, showing a solid 15.5% increase in its pretax earnings in the third quarter, to argue that Stellantis’ issues are the fault of management. The union is promoting a website that calls CEO Carlos Tavares, who has now announced his intention to retire in 2026, “out of control” and seeks his ouster.

Fain also blasted the company’s strategy of filing numerous lawsuits in federal court.

“This is an act of desperation, pure and simple,” he said, noting later that “these aren’t sham grievances, these are our lives.”

He called for the membership to be ready to fight.

'Our members aren’t afraid'

Gotinsky said, “We want Stellantis to keep the promise. That’s all we’re asking for” and listed numerous commitments for Belvidere in the contract beyond the reopening of the plant that he said won’t be happening by the promised dates.

The bargaining team worked hard to secure those commitments, and “it wasn’t a gift” what the company agreed to, he said, noting that something else was given up at the table to secure the investment commitments.

The union doesn’t want to strike, but the union won that right, and “our members aren’t afraid. We’re not backing down,” he said.

Gotinsky said the union is talking with the company, “and we are going to get this issue resolved.”

The UAW wasn’t the only union represented at the rally, which concluded with a march to the plant.

Joe Tostige and Jerome Chester came out from Teamsters Local 283. The men, who live in Trenton, work at the Marathon Petroleum refinery and are currently on strike.

Tostige, whose face was painted blue to conjure Mel Gibson’s depiction of William Wallace in “Braveheart,” said “it’s about working-class people standing together.”

In response to a request for comment about the rally, spokeswoman Jodi Tinson pointed a reporter to prior company statements.

"Stellantis has repeatedly stated that it remains committed to investing in the U.S. to create jobs and support its communities. The company recently announced a more than $235 million investment in its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) to support production of the Ram REV and Ramcharger. The investment will bring innovations to the plant to support a multi-energy approach that is laser-focused on meeting customer demand for not only the new electrified models but the awarding-winning (gas-powered) version, which also will continue to be produced at SHAP," according to a statement provided by Tinson last week.

The company did not immediately provide a response to the letter from members of Congress.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dingell, Tlaib join UAW's Fain to push Stellantis on commitments