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Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin UAW President Shawn Fain speaks during a union rally in Chattanooga, Tennessee. UAW lIVESTREAM The United Auto Workers rallied Sunday as the union prepares to negotiate its first labor contract at Volkswagen AG’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “We have an army of people behind you,” union President Shawn Fain said at the gathering in Chattanooga.
“You will get the best in this fight, that is my commitment to you.” Workers at the Tennessee factory voted to be represented by the Detroit-based union in April . The vote followed previous unsuccessful attempts by the UAW to organize the operation.
The message of the Sunday rally was a tougher task awaits with the contract talks. “The fight for the future is not easy,” said Chuck Browning, a UAW vice president. “It’s going to take everything we’ve got” to secure a contract.
“These Volkswagen negotiations are going to be tough,” he added. “But we are tougher.” A year ago, Fain led a strike against plants at General Motors Co.
, Ford Motor Co., and Stellantis. The union targeted key factories that generate much of the profit at all three companies.
New contracts at the automakers were ratified in November . The accords called for a 25% boost in wages and the return of cost-of-living adjustments as well as job commitments for future electric vehicle projects, among other gains for union members. MORE FOR YOU Google Chrome Deadline—You Have 72 Hours To Update Your Browser U.
S. May Get Northern Lights On Monday Night As ‘Strong’ Aurora Predicted Samsung Updates Millions Of Galaxy Phones To Stop Users Leaving The results came after concessions going back to the 2000s when GM and Chrysler (now part of Stellantis) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and were bailed out by the U.S.
government. Fain now wants the UAW to organize other auto plants without union representation. U.
S. plants owned by Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co.
, and Nissan Motor Co., among others, are non-union. The UAW organizing drive at Volkswagen was a breakthrough.
However, workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama, voted down the union in May . function loadConnatixScript(document) { if (!window.cnxel) { window.
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elements.video/tr/si?token=' + '44f947fb-a5ce-41f1-a4fc-78dcf31c262a' + '&cid=' + '62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; cnxel.cmd.
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Last week, Stellantis said it will spend more than $406 million at three Michigan plants to build electric vehicles and battery parts. At Sunday’s rally, Fain said the UAW will seek wage gains, more affordable health insurance, and health and safety improvements. The union leader said pay at Volkswagen should be comparable to worker compensation at GM, Ford, and Stellantis.
“Every auto job can be a good job,” Fain said. “You’re the backbone of this plant, you’re the backbone of this company,” he added. “Volkswagen could double your wages, not raise prices, and still make billions of dollars.
”.
