UAW members won a commitment from Stellantis to invest in America. Sign up to stay updated about our plans to make sure the company keeps its promise.
In our 2023 UAW contract with Stellantis, we won historic gains, from life-changing wage increases to the reopening of Belvidere Assembly, and billions more in investment in American autoworkers.
We also won the right to strike over product and investment commitments.
A year later, the company wants to go back on their commitments to Stellantis autoworkers.
Our answer is simple: HELL NO.
Thousands of UAW members sacrificed on the picket line to win this contract, and we intend to enforce it, even if that means going back on strike.
That’s why Stellantis UAW locals across the country are filing grievances against the company for violating the contract, and are preparing to take action, if necessary, to make Stellantis keep their promise and protect good blue collar American jobs.
UAW Family,
Last week, we launched our campaign to make Stellantis Keep The Promise they made to America’s autoworkers.
In our 2023 contract, we won major gains, including an unprecedented commitment to reopen an idled assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois. We also won the right to strike over those commitments. Now, the company wants to go back on the deal. As a united UAW, we intend to enforce our contract, and to make Stellantis Keep The Promise.
Seventeen Stellantis UAW locals covering tens of thousands of members have now filed grievances with the company to enforce our 2023 agreement. As of today, two of those grievances have progressed to the third step, while eight others have moved to the second step. We are ready to enforce this contract....
And the company knows it.
The day we filed those grievances, in front of a live audience of over 50 million viewers, UAW President Shawn Fain put the company on notice:
“Corporate greed is alive and well in the auto industry. Last fall, we achieved life-changing gains in our strike at the Big Three. We even won a commitment to re-open a closed plant, not too far from here. We were able to do that thanks to the support of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and the thousands of autoworkers that went on strike.
But a year later, one company wants to go back on their commitments in our contract. And let me be clear, Stellantis must keep the promises they made to America in our union contract. And the UAW will take whatever action necessary at Stellantis or any other corporation to stand up and hold corporate America accountable.”
On August 21, we received the tragic news that one of our brothers working at Toledo Assembly was killed on the job. This never should have happened. Brother Antonio Gaston was in Toledo as a transferee out of Belvidere. He never should’ve been there. And he never should’ve lost his life on the job.
We are supporting Brother Gaston’s family in this horrible time, and we encourage you all to donate what you can to his family and keep them in your prayers.
On August 22, we visited Antonio’s home local in Belvidere to rally with the members there and share information about how we planned to make Stellantis Keep The Promise. Over 200 members showed up to show the company we are united and ready to fight like hell. You can watch the video of the rally here.
The next day, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares had planned to visit SHAP, supposedly to talk about “quality” issues. Not quality of life, or job quality, but quality of the product, for which he blames the workers, despite cutting staffing to the bone and buying the cheapest parts available.
We asked to meet with Tavares while he was in town, but he refused. So we decided we’d rally outside the plant, and invite the media to hear what’s really going on at this company. Next thing we know, Tavares is nowhere to be found. No-call, no-show. And he wants to complain about worker absenteeism? As we’ve said before, if any autoworker did as piss-poor a job as Carlos Tavares, they’d be fired.
Instead, the company sent an email to all Stellantis employees threatening that “a strike would be illegal.”
Let’s be clear: we have the right to strike over product and investment commitments. Stellantis wants to go back on their product and investment commitments.
The company keeps changing the reason why they can’t keep their contractual commitments.
The company claims there are architectural problems with retooling Belvidere.
Well, that’s mismanagement, not a reason to not keep their obligation to the UAW.
They claimed that our grievances aren’t timely. That’s bullshit. Every day that the company refuses to meet their obligation is another day they are violating the contract.
They have claimed they don’t need a battery-powered electric vehicle, but at the same time they claim they need a mid-size ICE vehicle on the market right now.
Well, Belvidere was slated to build both.
And lastly, Stellantis management is claiming “market conditions” won’t let them move forward with keeping their promise at Belvidere.
But where were those “market conditions” when CEO Carlos Tavares gave himself a 56 percent raise, making him the highest paid auto executive outside Tesla?
Where were those “market conditions” when GM and Ford posted strong sales and profits in the same market?
Where were those “market conditions” when Tavares said that “North American operations are basically funding the rest of [Stellantis]”?
If the market is the problem, how and why is the company announcing 20 new products for that market?
The problem isn’t architectural designs.
The problem isn’t electrification.
The problem isn’t how or when we filed our grievances.
The problem isn’t the market.
The problem isn’t any of the shifting responses the company is giving us.
The problem is Stellantis management.
The problem is Carlos Tavares.
Our fight right now is about Belvidere. But it impacts all of us.
If this company can violate their commitment to Belvidere, what will they violate next?
We rise and fall together. As Stellantis employees, as UAW members, and as a united working class.
Let’s make Stellantis Keep the Promise and stick together until we get justice for Belvidere and autoworkers everywhere.
In solidarity,
Shawn Fain
UAW President
Kevin Gotinsky
Director, UAW Stellantis Department
Together, we're making sure Stellantis keeps it promise to invest in America. Sign up above to be notified of future events.
Join UAW President Shawn Fain, UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell, and UAW members at UAW Local 1268.Details/RSVP
Join us at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant for a rally and press conference as Carlos Tavares visits the plant.Details/RSVP
Any local covered under the national Stellantis contract can file grievances, including major plants at:
These are strikable grievances, BUT our goal is NOT to strike. Our goal is to get the product that Stellantis committed to. And we MUST be ready to do what it takes!
Below is the full text of the grievances being filed.
The Company has informed the Union that it will not launch the Belvidere Consolidated Mopar Mega Hub in 2024, it will not begin stamping operations for the Belvidere Mega Hub in 2025 and it will not begin production of a midsize truck in Belvidere in 2027.
The Company’s failure to plan for, fund and launch these programs constitute a violation of the U.S. Investment letter in the PM&P and OC&E Collective Bargaining Agreements. During 2023 National Negotiations the parties agreed to the investment plan for Belvidere to address job security concerns impacting bargaining unit members throughout the entire system. The Company’s failure to honor its commitments in the U.S. Investment letter is a serious concern to all bargaining unit members.
Demand: The Union demands that the Company rescind its decision to push back the above-referenced launches and immediately plan for and fund the Belvidere investments in order to comply with the agreed upon timeline for launching the Belvidere Mega Hub (2024), the Belvidere Stamping operation (2025) and Belvidere midsize truck production (2027).
