When people hear the word strike, multiple things tend to pop up, such as the potential Portland Association of Teachers strike and the Writers Guild strike. However, a strike that doesn’t get attention here on the West Coast is the United Auto Workers strike.
The United Auto Workers, also known as the UAW, began striking on Sept. 15, 2023. The UAW is striking against automotive companies such as Ford, G.M. and Stellantis. The strikes started at a G.M. assembly plant in Missouri, a Ford Assembly plant in Michigan and a Stellantis Assembly plant in Ohio. These strikes have quickly spread across the nation, including Oregon, down at the Chrysler Parts Distribution Center in Beaverton.
According to Grant Wagner, the Local 492 chairman, the strike started due to companies “refusing to bargain in good faith.” He also described how a majority of workers don’t have pensions or healthcare benefits. However, these benefits were provided to workers a long time ago when the companies were making less profit, “At one point we had 1.5 million members within the UAW. At that same time, companies were raking in millions in profit, and providing all these great pensions, legacy costs, and healthcare. They provided all of those to 1.5 million members, and still raked in millions of profits.” Wagner adds, “We are about less than 150,000, and they are raking in billions, but say that they can’t give them back.” It makes one wonder, why can’t the companies give back those benefits if they are making a lot more money now?
Wagner chalks it up to corporate greed, with the corporations looking after shareholders over the actual workers. “They’ve got so many share-holders across the globe that they have to satisfy and pander to all these different shareholders, and they don’t really want to pander to the United Auto Workers,” said Wagner
Ultimately, the UAW is trying to win the benefits they lost during the 2009 Chrysler bankruptcy. According to Wagner, the union wants all parties affected by the strike to be satisfied at the end, even if that means “not giving a CEO a hundred million dollar bonus”.
The strike will be a long and difficult battle. However, the support from the community is keeping morale high for the strikers. Although the weather has been brutal for strikers, they are still in it for the long haul, being highly committed to the strike. “We’re all brothers and sisters out here, fighting the unjust treatment of laborers and of the Middle Class,” said Wagner.
It is important to show support for the unions in our community. The Local 492 union in Beaverton is on strike 24-7 and is requesting water bottles and more volunteers to help picket in solidarity.
