The United Auto Workers Union is equipped and ready to engage in protracted strikes against automakers that could extend for months, as disclosed by leaked messages. Those messages were exchanged between Jonah Furman, the Communications Director at the United Auto Workers Union, and other union members, providing insights into the union's strategy and willingness to adopt innovative strikes to secure the best deals for their workers.
In a revealing message, Furman notes that "if we can keep them wounded for months, they don’t know what to do…this is recurring reputations damage and operation chaos." In another message, he points out that they have laid the union's plans bare in public, leaving the companies powerless to stop them. Neither Furman nor the UAW provided comments when asked.
The leaked discussions occurred within a private messaging group on X, a former Twitter platform. Though the full context of the conversation is yet to be established, it seemed apparent that union issues and strategies were the topics of discussion. The Detroit Free Press first reported these leaked messages.
This strike by the UAW is historic as it targets all traditional "Big Three" automakers at once. So far, only one final assembly plant per automaker has been targeted since the strike's launch. However, UAW President Shawn Fain, on Monday night, threatened to expand the picket lines to other plants if the automakers' offers demonstrate no "substantial progress."
The currently ongoing strike, dubbed the "Stand-Up Strike," pays homage to the original "Sit-Down Strike" integral to the UAW's early history. It demonstrates a significant shift from the past when the UAW would usually strike against one automaker at a time, entirely shutting it down. Presently, the union is after maximum flexibility, aiming for the power to halt or restart individual plants at any moment.
Unions typically strategize and ready themselves for extended strikes, even those spanning months. Undertaking a targeted strike could offer the union the advantage of resource conservation, thus prolonging possible strikes. UAW members engaging in the strike are eligible for $500 weekly strike benefits from the union's strike fund.
Inevitably, resorting to targeted strikes could force companies to halt operations and lay off members who are not on strike technically. Hence, making them legible for state unemployment benefits, rather than strike funds, thereby saving the union's resources. Though this strategy raises some legal questions concerning eligibility for unemployment claims.
Before the strike kicked off, Fain emphasized the members retaining their jobs if their plant wasn't selected for a strike, to ensure the union negotiators wield the greatest power at the negotiating table. "This is going to create confusion for the companies. It’s going to turbo charge the power of our negotiators,” he informed members during a brief.
Stellantis, having made an additional offer to the UAW this week, voiced its dismay and expressed that UAW's approach to the talks does not prioritize its workforce's needs.
John Hatline, a veteran General Motors employee of 49 years, affirmed his belief in the efficacy of targeted strikes. “We have used targeted strategies in the past. They have proven effective in helping resolve our contract disputes,” said Hatline, emphasizing the need for sustainability of the strike fund.
Negotiations with Stellantis, General Motors, and Ford continue according to sources, and the UAW union has hinted that they will decide to widen their strike if solid progress isn't attained by noon today.
