For weeks now, the United Auto Workers (UAW) has been ramping up its
aggressive rhetoric around the possibility of a strike at the 'Big 3'automakers - GM, Ford, and Stellantis. The UAW represents some 150,000workers across the three firms. Each company has raked in billions ofdollars in profit in recent years. ---- In a live broadcast on theevening of Thursday, September 14th, UAW president Shawn Fain announcedthat UAW workers at select plants, each representing one of the Big 3,would walkout at midnight. This strategy of striking at select plantsfollows what the union is calling a "stand up strike" model, withindividual UAW Locals "standing up" as the strike escalates.During the broadcast, Fain, who was part of a slate of narrowly electedreform candidates that swept into the union's International ExecutiveBoard (IEB) earlier this year, communicated the historic stakes of thestrike: "For the first time in UAW history we will strike all of the Big3 at once".On the eve of the strike we spoke very briefly with Lynn, a veteranrank-and-file UAW member out of a GM plant in the Northeastern US.Black Rose / Rosa Negra (BRRN): Who are you and what kind of work do you do?Lynn (L): My Name is Lynn, I've worked at GM for 17 years. I am a teamleader. A team leader is also known as a job setter/set-up. Our job isto make sure our team members have all the materials and equipmentsettings they need to complete their job. We do robot recovery, auditingboth for quality and safety, minor repairs, troubleshooting, and a lotmore. We are a team and we work closely with each other. It isphysically and mentally challenging. Lots of heavy lifting, pushing andpulling, and I usually go home exhausted. I've already had one workrelated surgery in 2014, my disc slipped out and needed to be operatedon immediately. I still have nerve damage from it and I will suffer fromit for the rest of my life.BRRN: What's the feeling on the ground among you and your coworkers onthe eve of this possible strike?L: There is a strange silence and you can feel the anxiety and tensionin the air. Yet, everytime I check in with any of my coworkers in theplant they all say, "I'm ready," we are fired up!BRRN: Among the demands being made, what are most important to you? Ifyou have a sense, which are most important to your coworkers?L: Our pay is probably number one on our list. Most of us are barelygetting by. It's paycheck to paycheck. Most of us use our bonuses to paydown our credit card debt because it seems like that's how we survivethroughout the year.BRRN: The last time GM workers walked out was 2019. Are things differentthis time around?L: Yes and no. Last time our healthcare was at stake: GM was asking forus to pay for it. We did win a very small raise, it wasn't enough. Wewent back to work feeling defeated. We spent seven weeks on strike and Ithink we won a three percent raise per year and got to keep our benefits.BRRN: Earlier this year UAW members voted for the first time in theunion's history to directly elect the International Executive Board.Reformers belonging to the United All Workers for Democracy (UAWD)caucus took majority control of the IEB, including the office ofpresident. This change has led to much more aggressive rhetoric andstrategy from union officials.Do you think new union president Shawn Fain and the rest of the IEB meanwhat they say, or are they just talking a big game?L: First off, the fact that we can directly vote for our InternationalExecutive Board is a huge win for the entire UAW membership. We got ridof the corruption that was destroying our union. I can't blame it all onour union; it was obviously an attempt by the Big Three to bust ourunion and weaken our collective bargaining power. I think people forgetthat part, and just blame the people who fell for it.[Keeping the unionundemocratic]was a major strategy by the corporations, no doubt.I am not sure about Shawn Fain yet. You know the saying "actions speaklouder than words." So I'm ready to see actions taken. We are all readyto take action to win back what was lost, from 2008 until now. We havebeen a sinking ship barely floating above water. So, talk is pointless,and honestly I don't listen to a lot of it. Direct action gets the goods.BRRN: If you do walk out, what can non-UAW members do to support you?L: Don't cross a picket line, join it. It's always encouraging whenpeople stop by and strengthen our line. That's the biggest thing you can do.Last time people just sent money, checks, and gift cards to our hall. Itjust got bogged down by a bureaucratic process of reorganizing it andwithholding it from people who could really use it. It really made mesuper mad when one of my coworkers was in dire need. They would speak upand we would all have to pool our own money together to bail them out ofwhatever financial situation they were facing. I personally watched themoney flow into our hall and out to our international region. I have noidea if any of that ever helped anyone in our local. If you want to givemoney or items, find someone you can trust to do the right thing. Pleasedon't just send money to the UAW.If you know someone, personally ask them if you can pay a bill for them.Or even just slipping them some cash is such a huge thing.Speak up about your support toward UAW membership on strike.If you're interested in more of our strike coverage, you might enjoyInterview: UPS Teamster on the Possibility of Huge 2023 Strike orInterview: Adjunct Faculty on Recent Rutgers University Strike.https://blackrosefed.org/interview-uaw-rank-and-filer-as-historic-strike-begins/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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