- The war of words between Stellantis and the UAW has gone thermonuclear as the president of the union has publicly accused Carlos Tavares of a “piss-poor” job and called for his ouster.
- Members at the Los Angeles Parts Distribution Center have voted in favor of requesting a strike authorization.
- Stellantis has reportedly sued the union and its local in an effort to prevent an “unlawful strike” and hold the UAW accountable for any losses resulting in such a move.
The UAW is closer to striking at Stellantis as a “supermajority” of members at the Los Angeles Parts Distribution Center voted in favor of requesting a strike authorization if the company doesn’t follow through on commitments made in the contract signed last year. This ramps up the pressure on the automaker, which has been engaged in a war of words with the union for weeks.
Last night’s vote was the first time union members got to weigh in on the situation and the UAW said “as the grievances proceed, more UAW locals at Stellantis could be holding strike authorization votes soon.”
More: Stellantis Tells UAW To Step Up Or Shut Up
UAW President Shawn Fain didn’t mince words as he publicly called for the ouster of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. As he stated, “If an autoworker in the plant did as piss-poor of a job as Tavares, they would be fired. It’s time for Stellantis to shitcan Carlos!”
That’s a clear escalation of rhetoric and Fain went on to say “Stellantis made a contractual promise to invest in America and we are not going to let them weasel out of it.” The outspoken leader added, “Our members won those investments during the Stand Up strike, and we will strike again to make Stellantis keep the promise if we have to.”
Stellantis isn’t giving up without a fight as CNBC is reporting the company has sued the UAW as well as its local for the Los Angeles Parts Distribution Center. In a message obtained by the publication, it suggested any action would be an “unlawful strike” and they’d be held “liable for the revenue loss and other damages resulting from lost production.” It went on to say a strike would be a breach of contract and the automaker should be awarded monetary damages if union members walk off the line.
The latest dustup follows a protest march at a stamping plant in Michigan and an accusation that the automaker is conducting a robocall campaign to tell “tens of thousands of UAW members to vote no on a potential strike authorization vote.”
The rhetoric and threats can be traced back to two contentious issues; the decision to delay investments at Belvidere Assembly and reported plans to move Dodge Durango production to Canada. The automaker has previously taken issue with the latter claim, saying they haven’t announced where the next-generation SUV would be made. However, their agreement with the UAW called for it to be built in Detroit starting in 2026.
Stellantis has previously said delays are fine as the “agreed to language … expressly allows the company to modify product investments and employment levels.” The automaker has also claimed “investments and timelines are not absolute guarantees,” despite Fain “wrongly and repeatedly” suggesting they are.
