WATCH: UAW Launches Massive Campaign Telling All Non-Union Autoworkers to 'Stand Up!'
"Workers can't afford to buy the vehicles they make." — UAW President Shawn Fain
On Wednesday, the United Auto Workers (UAW) launched a campaign to unionize non-union autoworkers employed by foreign automakers.
“Thousands of non-union autoworkers are signing cards at the new UAW webpage, UAW.org/join, and are publicly organizing to join the UAW,” the UAW claimed in its press release.
The union, coming on the heels of its strike against the Detroit Three automakers—Ford, General Motors and Stellantis—is targeting 13 non-union car manufacturers, including the nation’s second largest automaker, Toyota, as well as electric vehicle maker Tesla.
“It’s time for non-union autoworkers to join the UAW and win economic justice at Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Tesla, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mazda, Rivian, Lucid, Volvo and beyond,” the union states on the campaign’s website.
In its press release Wednesday, the UAW included a video (below) narrated by UAW president Shawn Fain and addressing all autoworkers at each of the targeted companies, as well a link to a website that features statistics on each company, as well as links to electronic union authorization cards.
WATCH:
Although the UAW has repeatedly tried and failed to unionize non-union automakers in the past, as well as was mired in a years-long corruption scandal that saw two union presidents go to prison, the union’s new president, Shawn Fain, is trying to revitalize the union.
“To all the autoworkers out there working without the benefits of a union: now it’s your turn,” the UAW’s Fain states in the video. “Since we began our Stand Up Strike, the response from autoworkers at non-union companies has been overwhelming.”
Once 30% of workers at a single plant sign an authorization card, an organizing committee of autoworkers at the plant would be announced publicly, reported the Detroit News.
Once 50% of workers at a plant have signed an authorization card, the union says it would hold a rally with UAW President Shawn Fain, community leaders and supporters. After it reaches the 70% threshold, the union says it would demand voluntary recognition by the company. If that doesn't happen, it would file for an election with the NLRB that would allow workers to vote on whether to unionize. [Emphasis added.]
Whether non-union workers’ response results in the UAW breaking its losing streak at the non-union car companies is yet to be determined.