UAW strike: Spring Hill GM autoworkers awaiting call to join walk outs

Gathered together in a dimly lit room of the union hall, United Auto Workers Spring Hill president John Rutherford and a few other members waited patiently to hear if the Spring Hill General Motors assembly plant would get the call to strike.

They turned their attention to a small TV bolted high in the corner of the room. After the slight delay of a message delivered by UAW International President Shawn Fain supposed to air at 9 a.m., the workers soon got their answer after building anticipation.

There will be no strike this week.

Spring Hill GM plant workers will not enter the existing UAW strike for the second week in a row, according to Fain, who relayed information to tens of thousands of listeners in a Friday address on social media.

More: In Spring Hill, Tennessee, UAW wants better wages, insurance as strike threat remains

A strike was much-speculated in Spring Hill this week after a reported 18,000 autoworkers of the union's 150,000 members took up signs, officially walking out of GM, Ford and Stellantis plants across 21 states in the last two weeks. “They’re ready to fight for the middle class,” Rutherford, president of the UAW Local 1853, said. “Our members are fed up.”

Though, the call to strike still didn't come.

Workers at Spring Hill General Motors plant will continue to work as 7,000 other auto workers join the fight around the U.S. this week.

Friday, Fain called on two more plants — Ford's Chicago assembly plant and GM's Lansing Delta Township — to add about 7,000 people to the picket lines.

"It's the war of the working class versus corporate greed," he said. "We are the new arsenal of democracy. The workers are the liberators, and our strike is the vehicle for liberation."

The core issues of concern to workers are pay and cost of living increases.

More than 3,000 United Auto Workers members are employed at the Spring Hill plant, and are producing hundreds of vehicles per day under the expired contract.

The 11 million square-foot Spring Hill GM plant on 2,100 acres, which opened in 1990, builds SUV models, including Cadillac models XT5, XT6, and the all-electric LYRIQ, powered by Ultium Cells batteries, and the GMC Acadia.

GM responds to additional strikes

In a statement Friday, GM said they had not received a "comprehensive counteroffer from UAW leadership" to their Sept. 21 proposal.

"Calling more strikes is just for the headlines, not real progress," Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of GM, said in a statement. "The number of people negatively impacted by these strikes is growing and includes our customers who buy and love the products we build."

GM said they stand ready to negotiate in good faith, a claim that Fain said during his message Friday morning was not happening.

"Our current record proposal that is on the table offers historic wage increases and job security, while not jeopardizing our future," according to the statement. "We’re here to reach an agreement so we can all get back to work, and that remains our 100% focus. Be safe.”

Worker questions if strike would improve pay, retirement

Peter Loy, a machine repairman at GM’s Spring Hill plant, said he’s surprised Spring Hill hasn’t been called to strike yet.

“They’ve been on a drive for years to produce, produce, produce,” Loy said. “It’s pretty hectic with the new line of vehicles. UPS got a great deal and we can’t even compare to them. Some people have to work two jobs just to keep up with the day-to-day costs.”

He said he would like to see the union make progress on better retirement benefits. He’s on the cusp of retirement after a 32-year career at the plant.

Awaiting the call: In Spring Hill, Tennessee, UAW wants better wages, insurance as strike threat remains

Loy said he’s prepared to take a pay cut if there’s a strike. But he doesn’t have high hopes for a great outcome because he said recent strikes haven’t been very beneficial for employees.

“The game GM is playing is they keep you out of work long enough and then they will throw some money at you,” Loy said. “The union is still keeping us in the dark about exactly what they’re asking for. They only gave us some highlights.

“But if we go on strike, I can stay out as long as they want me to be out.”

More: Spring Hill United Auto Workers braced to strike; 'I pray GM does what's right'

Long gone are the days of a living wage

While the strike won't come to Spring Hill this week, workers are going to meet others on strike in Tennessee.

"We've got people going down Sunday to Memphis to help support the workers that are on strike there, walk the picket line with our brothers and sisters," Mike Miller, a Spring Hill UAW benefits representative said. "We are family, whether it's here or across the country. This is my 48th year and my 10th contract."

The UAW strike has been anticipated as potentially the largest strike in the union's history, with its most-recent company-wide walkout occurring in 2019.

And this strike is different, Miller said.

"This contract feels totally different because, as someone who has gone through this so many times, I don't know what [UAW President Shawn Fain] is doing," he said. "We usually pick a target, negotiate that target … and then go to the other two companies and bring it to them. It's different because with this one pretty much nobody knows, and we could go on strike tomorrow for all we know."

"Corporate greed" has been the root cause of all the woes within the auto industry, Fain said Friday. Striking is the only way to establish the status quo, he said.

"For decades, it's been the same story," he said. "Unchecked corporate power disappearing worker power. The result is massive inequality across our society."

When Miller first started in the industry, he was able to buy a home, a car and his wife was able to stay home with their child. Long gone are those days, Miller said.

"What happened was greed, and it all started during the Ronald Reagan era when things started to trickle down," Miller explained. "And if I had a billion dollars, there wouldn't be anything trickling down because there's a word that comes into play, and that's greed."

'Little nervous, but excited'

When the call didn't come for Spring Hill Friday, Rutherford said it only adds to the anticipation.

"They're ready to fight for a good cause and get everything back. It does make everything a little more nerve-wracking, given we've bought things like lights, propane for heaters to get everything ready, and now we don't know if we're going on strike and can use them," he said.

Previously, UAW spokesperson Brian Costantino said workers in Spring Hill were "fired up" and fed up" when the initial walk-out began a couple of weeks ago.

Since that time, all eyes have been on Spring Hill's GM plant, the largest in North America, and whether it would also join the "Stand-Up Strike" for better wages and opportunities for employees.

"We're the ones who are going to be going down to strike pay, sacrificing health care, and that's a temporary loss," Rutherford said. "By going on strike and fighting for a better contract, that's going to trickle down to the community, the more money we're going to spend on local businesses."

The situation is a bit of a catch-22.

"It's a happy medium, I'd say. Because on one hand, we are ready for the fight and want to support our brothers and sisters on strike, but it's also nice being able to still make a full paycheck and to keep working," Rutherford said.

"I'm a little nervous, but excited."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: UAW strike: Tennessee GM autoworkers awaiting call to join walk outs