Sept. 17 (UPI) — United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain announced Tuesday he will take “strike action” against Stellantis for failing to follow through on a deal that ended last year’s six-week strike.
“Tonight I am announcing in the coming days, we will be convening our Stellantis counsel in Detroit. We will also be holding strike authorization votes at one or more Stellantis locales. And we will stand united to enforce our contract and save American jobs,” Fain told union members Tuesday night during a live-streamed speech.
Stellantis employs approximately 300,000 workers around the world and produces 16 vehicle brands including Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Alfa Romeo.
The collective bargaining agreement, reached between Stellantis and North American union members last October following a six-week strike , included a commitment for the automaker to reopen its Belvidere assembly plant in Illinois and to build the Dodge Durango in Detroit.
“Last week the company confirmed that they are planning to violate our contract once again by moving production of the Dodge Durango from the Detroit Assembly Complex to Canada. This will kill thousands of jobs right here in America,” Fain warned Tuesday, adding “it is a flagrant violation of our contract.”