Stellantis has claimed that production of the Ram 1500 could be moved from Detroit to Mexico, or so says the vice president of the United Auto Workers union, Rich Boyer.
The car manufacturer is currently locked in tense contract negotiations with the UAW and while speaking with hundreds of union members at a rally over the weekend, Boyer claimed that Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares doesn’t care about U.S. workers.
“He don’t give a s*** about the American auto worker,” he said. “They have said they want to take the Ram 1500 ICE and send it to Mexico… These companies have no respect for us. These companies think that you’re overpaid and underworked.”
Read: Stellantis UAW Employees Get $14,760 After Record Profits
Boyer claims that Stellantis intends on building a new electric Ram pickup truck at its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in place of the Ram 1500. That’s a concern for the union as EVs require fewer workers to produce and as CNBC notes, there’s no assurance that the EV will be as popular and produced in as high numbers as the 1500.
Stellantis has not confirmed nor denied if it has any plans to shift production of the Ram 1500.
“Product allocation for our U.S. plants will depend on the outcome of these negotiations as well as a plant’s ability to meet specific performance metrics including improving quality, reducing absenteeism and addressing overall cost,” Stellantis said in a statement issued to The Hill. “As these decisions are fluid and part of the discussions at the bargaining table, we will not comment further.”
The UAW says its contract negotiations with Stellantis are proving to be “slow and confrontational.” The UAW is not only fiercely opposed to the production of the 1500 being moved but is pushing for better wages, pensions, and career security.
