UAW launches major campaign to organize workers at Tesla and other non-union auto factories
Detroit, Michigan - Shortly after ratifying new contract agreements with the Big Three carmakers, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union has announced a campaign to organize employees at a host of other non-union factories.
The UAW has said it plans to help organize nearly 150,000 workers at over 12 non-union carmaker facilities, particularly in the South.
On the target list are factories run by Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, and Volvo, as well as Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after UAW members at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis ratified contract agreements with major improvements in pay, benefits, and working conditions following a historic, weeks-long strike.
The win spurred Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, and Hyundai to raise wages at their US factories, which many saw as a preemptive move to undermine organizing efforts.
"To all the autoworkers out there working without the benefits of a union, now it's your turn," UAW President Shawn Fain said in a video address. "You don't have to live paycheck to paycheck. You don't have to worry about how you're going to pay your rent or feed your family while the company makes billions."
"The money is there, the time is right, and the answer is simple," Fain says as the video cuts to a crowd of striking UAW workers cheering "Unionize!"
Cover photo: SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP