Troublemakers Blog

October 04, 2023 /
Auto Workers President Shawn Fain has vigorously condemned violence on the picket lines in Michigan, Massachusetts, and California—laying the blame on management for using replacement workers, or as we usually call them in the »
A group of workers march in Detroit holding signs that say "UAW Stand Up: Fair Pay and COLA Now."
September 26, 2023 /
With 18,000 United Auto Workers members on strike at three Big 3 assembly plants and 38 parts distribution centers around the country, Labor Notes held a free national Zoom call on September 23, 2023, to hear reports from the rank-and-file members massing on picket lines and taking creative actions to win their bold demands. »
Workers outside a big plant approach a car with leaflets.
September 26, 2023 /
It was late summer 2017 at the Overtyme Bar and Grill, a hotspot off a busy highway in Macon, Georgia, and Kumho Tire plant worker Mario Smith had important questions for local United Steelworkers (USW) president Alex Perkins: he wanted to know how he could bring a union to the one-year-old factory. »
Workers in red shirts picket outside. Many of the picket signs are white with UAW logo, Local 412, and the words "Stellantis Bargaining in Bad Faith."
September 26, 2023 / Jane Slaughter
What can workers seeking to reinvigorate their unions learn from the new spirit in the United Auto Workers? »
Workers in red shirts chant. Most are Black women. Many fists in air, one blowing whistle, one speaking into bullhorn. Printed signs say "UAW Stand Up, COLA and Fair Pay Now"
September 25, 2023 / Jane Slaughter
The Auto Workers announced encouraging progress in their negotiations with Ford and General Motors September 22, including an end to one of the many concessionary tiers in the union’s contract. »
September 25, 2023 /
En agosto de 2022, los trabajadores automotrices de VU Manufacturing ganaron una elección histórica para obtener el reconocimiento de un nuevo sindicato independiente, La Liga Sindical Obrera Mexicana. Un año más tarde, después de negarse a negociar un nuevo contrato, la compañía ha cerrado, dejando a 400 trabajadores sin trabajo y a 70 trabajadores sin su »
A man and a woman in suits stand holding a binder together in front of a screen that has Ford and Unifor logos projected on it.
September 21, 2023 /
Bargaining with the Detroit 3 auto corporations is happening in Canada and the United States at the same time this year—the first time that bargaining has aligned since the disastrous bankruptcy negotiations and forced concessions of 2009. »
several people are jammed together as part of a march with blue signs with gold lettering, saying “Proud VA Worker Serving Veterans, #SaveMyVA”
September 18, 2023 /
It’s rare that a union grievance settlement becomes a U.S. presidential campaign issue. »
An autoworker tightens bolts on a car chassis above his head.
September 13, 2023 / Joe DeManuelle-Hall
Management everywhere relies on workers “going the extra mile.” We cut corners, we skip breaks, and we look the other way on common violations of the contract, work rules, or even safety. But it’s also possible, when the time is right, to just stop doing the boss these favors. After all, how often does management do workers a favor? »
A group of autoworkers stand around outside looking at the camera--the closest is a blonde woman with a red shirt that says “UAW Back in the Fight.”
September 12, 2023 /
Conventional wisdom tells us we would rather not strike if we can avoid it. Labor Notes’ Secrets of a Successful Organizer says to start small and build escalating campaigns of bigger and riskier actions. This is not the attitude, however, at Stellantis’s stamping plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. »

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