By Freedom Road Socialist Organization Labor Commission
We in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stand in solidarity with the 150,000 members of the United Auto Workers union (UAW) as they fight for better conditions and prepare for a possible strike at the big three American car manufacturers – Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
This year the members of UAW voted out the incumbent president, Ray Curry, in favor of a reform slate led by Shawn Fain. It was the first time that UAW members directly elected their own president. Shawn Fain ran on a platform of winning back concessions from previous contracts, taking a militant approach to the upcoming contract negotiations, and cleaning up corruption in the union following recent embezzlement scandals.
The last time that UAW was on strike was in 2019, when 50,000 workers at General Motors walked off the job. That strike lasted six weeks and was a victory for the union, resulting in better job security, a pathway to permanent employment for temporary workers as well as performance bonuses and annual raises. This time the union is demanding even more from the companies, including a 32-hour work week, pension increases and an end to employee wage tiers.
Autoworkers face a tough fight. The big three want to hold down wages as they prepare to build new factories to produce electric cars.
Freedom Road has many militant trade union activists all across the country engaged in shop floor struggles and taking the fight to the bosses and the capitalist class that exploits us for our labor. Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have made huge profits off the labor of the working class, and we are in solidarity with our union siblings in the UAW as they prepare to take their fight to the streets. When we fight, we win!
