Aside from facing its fair share of financial struggles and pushback from dealers, Ford rival Stellantis is also currently embroiled in a major battle with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, with which it just reached a new master contract agreement with last fall. After the UAW filed unfair labor practice charges against Stellantis over allegations that it failed to provide information about the company’s plans regarding product commitments it made in the UAW’s 2023 collective bargaining agreement, the automaker proceeded to file a host of lawsuits against the union, too. Now, the UAW is escalating its campaign against Stellantis in a big way.
The UAW has launched a new video calling out Stellantis for what it says is a general failure to live up to the promises it made during the collective bargaining process, which coincided with a one-day general strike by Italian unions to protest the automaker’s production cuts and the impact they’re having on metalworkers in that country. UAW members from Belvidere, Illinois, including UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell and UAW Local 1268 President Matt Frantzen, joined the strike and spoke to protestors as well.
In the video, UAW President Shawn Fain addresses Stellantis members and urges them to head to a new website dubbed ShitcanCarlos.com and sign a strike authorization pledge. “This is about your job, your life, and the question is, are you going to let Carlos Tavares tell you to sit down and shut up?” Fain asks in the video. “Or are you going to stand up and fight for what’s right, for what you deserve?”
Along with facing tremendous pushback from its dealer network amid declining sales and swelling inventory, Stellantis is also working to cut costs in a variety of areas, which is part of what’s drawing the ire of the UAW. Stellantis is reportedly mulling the idea of eliminating some of its 15 brands, and is offering buyouts to help trim its white collar workforce and associated labor costs. The company recently slashed its earnings forecast as well, and is also selling its Arizona Proving Ground formerly owned by Ford.
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Just make better cars