The UAW has launched an unprecedented marketing campaign to unionize all the US auto sector directly, with hundreds of auto employees at 13 corporations saying simultaneous unionization campaigns.

After UAW’s massive strike win, successful 25%+ pay will increase on the “Large Three” American automakers after a simultaneous strike at GM, Ford, and Stellantis, the union is seeking to preserve that momentum and go greater.

Instantly after declaring victory, UAW President Shawn Fain mentioned that within the subsequent negotiation in 2028, UAW desires to return again to the bargaining desk to barter not simply with the Large Three however with “a Large 5 or a Large Six” – implying that the union deliberate to broaden to different automakers. And President Biden mentioned that he would assist a UAW push to unionize Tesla and Toyota.

Now we’ve seen an official announcement that UAW isn’t simply seeking to unionize two or three extra automakers, however all of them directly. Usually, unionization campaigns give attention to a single firm at a time, however right here, UAW is concentrating on a complete sector with simultaneous campaigns at every firm. This looks as if a tall order, however UAW’s triple-strike towards the Large Three appeared to work out effectively, so it’s now making use of that simultaneous tactic to organizing new union drives.

In service of its aim, UAW launched a brand new web site at uaw.org/be a part of, asking employees at every firm to signal their union card. The web site mentions a number of automakers by title and has hyperlinks to particular person campaigns for every automaker the place employees can go to precise their curiosity in unionizing:

The marketing campaign was accompanied by a video narrated by Fain making his union pitch. Briefly, UAW says that whereas automakers and buyers are making document income, employee compensation has not saved up. The video particularly mentions Tesla and Rivian’s latest quarterly outcomes and likewise states that the Japanese/Korean automakers have mixed to make $470 billion in income, and the German automakers have made a further $460 billion within the final ten years.

For the reason that UAW’s massive wins, different automakers have moved to extend pay to (partially) sustain with pay will increase on the Large Three. VW, Hyundai, Toyota, and Honda have all introduced hikes in pay, exhibiting how union wins can buoy a complete trade by making automakers compete for employees with greater pay.

However UAW doesn’t need to cease at a couple of voluntary pay hikes from different corporations. It thinks that unionizing these corporations may give employees a greater deal. One employee at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky, plant put it thusly:

We’ve misplaced a lot since I began right here, and the elevate received’t make up for that. It received’t make up for the well being advantages we’ve misplaced, it received’t make up for the wear and tear and tear on our our bodies. We nonetheless construct a top quality automobile. Individuals take satisfaction in that, however morale is at an all-time low. They may give you a elevate at this time and jack up your well being advantages tomorrow. A union contract is the one option to win what’s truthful.

Jeff Allen, 29-year Toyota meeting employee

UAW additionally quoted employees at Hyundai, VW, Mercedes, and Rivian in its launch, specializing in how they suppose unionization would enhance security and advantages at these automakers.

The UAW says that “hundreds” of auto employees are already concerned in organizing efforts, with the aim of finally unionizing roughly 150,000 auto manufacturing employees throughout non-union automakers, which might roughly double the variety of unionized auto employees within the US.

Certainly each firm focused by UAW received’t vote to unionize hastily, however the union appears to be pushing for as a lot success as it may get. This is able to be a primary when it comes to unionizing international automakers within the US, as effectively – notably, whereas all German automakers are equally unionized below one union, IG Metall (and German regulation requires board illustration for labor for corporations over a sure dimension), these German automakers are usually not unionized within the US.

Electrek’s Take

Unions are having a little bit of a second within the US, reaching their highest recognition ever since surveys began asking about them.

A lot of union recognition has been pushed by COVID-related disruptions throughout the financial system, with employees changing into unhappy resulting from mistreatment (labeling everybody “important,” corporations ending work-from-home) and with the labor market getting tighter with over 1 million People lifeless from the virus and one other 2-4 million (and counting) out of labor resulting from lengthy COVID.

Unions have seized on this dissatisfaction to construct momentum within the labor motion, with profitable strikes throughout many industries and organizers beginning to set up workforces that had beforehand been non-union.

Nevertheless, union membership has been down over a number of many years within the US. Consequently, pay hasn’t saved tempo with employee productiveness, and revenue distribution has develop into extra unequal over time. It’s actually not laborious to see this affect while you plot these developments towards one another.

It’s fairly clear that decrease union membership has resulted in decrease inflation-adjusted compensation for employees, at the same time as productiveness has skyrocketed. As employees have produced an increasing number of worth for his or her corporations, these earnings have gone an increasing number of to their bosses reasonably than to the employees who produce that worth. All of it started within the 80s, across the time of Reagan – a timeline that ought to be acquainted to those that research social ills in America.

All of this isn’t simply true within the US but additionally internationally. If you happen to take a look at different international locations with excessive ranges of labor group, they are likely to have extra truthful wealth distribution throughout the financial system and extra potential for employees to get their justifiable share.

We’re seeing this in Sweden proper now, as Tesla employees are putting for higher situations. Since Sweden has 90% collective bargaining protection, it tends to have a cheerful and well-paid workforce, and it appears clear that these two issues are correlated. And whereas that strike is constant, that means we haven’t but seen the top of it, most observers suppose that the employees will finally get what they need since collective bargaining is so sturdy in that nation.

These are all the explanation why, as I’ve talked about in lots of of those UAW-related articles, I’m pro-union. And I believe everybody ought to be – it solely is sensible that individuals ought to have their pursuits collectively represented and that individuals ought to have the ability to be a part of collectively to assist one another and train their energy collectively as an alternative of individually.

That is exactly what corporations do with trade organizations, foyer organizations, chambers of commerce, and so forth. And it’s what individuals do when sorting themselves into native, state, or nationwide governments. So naturally, employees ought to do the identical. It’s simply truthful.