The UAW continues to ramp up the pressure on non-union automakers following a victory against the Detroit Three.
While a number of companies have raised wages to help stave off a unionization push, the UAW has announced over 10,000 autoworkers have signed union cards. That’s a significant number and one that BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo are likely paying attention too.
Speaking of which, the union said nearly the majority of Mercedes employees in Vance, Alabama and Volkswagen employees in Chattanooga, Tennessee have signed up. The UAW added that “workers at more than two dozen other facilities have begun organizing in the thousands, inspired by the Big Three victory and the non-union autoworkers’ public announcements.”
UAW President Shawn Fain noted the momentum by saying “Our Stand Up movement has caught fire among America’s autoworkers” and “these workers are standing up for themselves, for their families, and for their communities, and our union will have their back every step of the way.”
As part of this effort, the union is targeting Hyundai’s plant in Montgomery, Alabama with a new video. The UAW says over 30 percent of employees at the plant have signed union cards and they’re looking to increase that number in order to unionize the facility.
More: Tesla Gives Workers A Raise As It Tries To Stave Off UAW Push
That’s a tall order, but the union said they’re trying to ensure workers get their “fair share of Hyundai’s record pretax profits” of $13.5 (£10.6 /€12.4) billion in 2023. To show the contrast, the union told the story of Ronald Terry, who reportedly started as a temp making just $11.03 (£8.65 / €10.15) an hour. The union also pointed to others who received raises of a few cents per hour.