UAW Cancels Solidarity Demo (See Comments)
After the events at this weekend’s Labor Notes conference labor needs a reason to hold its head up high. The strikers at American Axle who have been holding the line for months now are one such reason. There are hundreds of thousands of union members in the Detroit area. It was never more necessary to stand shoulder to shoulder than now as one gain after another made by the workers movement in the last seven decades is reversed. Check out Soldiers of Solidarity and the Future of the Union sites for more information from the rank and file perspective.
Friday, April 18 11:30 AM
Rally to support AAM strikers
Hart Plaza: Woodward & Jefferson
UAW members and supporters will rally at 11:30 am on April 18 at Detroit’s Hart Plaza to support striking workers at American Axle.
More than 3,500 UAW members from UAW Locals 235, 262 and 2093 in Michigan and UAW Locals 424 and 826 in New York have been on strike since Feb. 26 to protest unfair labor practices.
“The support our members have received during this strike is overwhelming,” said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger. “We’ve heard from members of the clergy, from local businesses, from community leaders –and of course from UAW members and the entire labor movement.”
“Our rally on April 18th will be a great time to show solidarity with American Axle strikers, and to demonstrate support for keeping manufacturing jobs here in the United States,” said Gettelfinger.
“Even business publications like the Automotive News can’t understand how American Axle can justify giving pay raises to executives while demanding pay cuts from workers,” said UAW Vice President James Settles Jr., who directs the union’s American Axle Department.
“In addition to their unjustified economic demands,” said Settles, “AAM has refused to provide us the information we need for bargaining, andhas illegally cut off disability payments and health care for injuredworkers, as well as compensation — including health care — for laid off workers. That’s why this is an unfair labor practices strike.”
“Our members at American Axle are standing up for what’s right — and we’re inviting our entire community to stand with us on April 18th at Hart Plaza.”
April 16, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Unfortunately it seems that the UAW leadership (divided over the strike and concessions to begin with) was not of one mind on the demonstration. Now we hear that they have canceled the demo because of “progress in the talks”. If there is progress, and that is entirely subjective, then isn’t now the time to put forward maximum pressure on AA to come to an agreement?
Of course that’s what a genuine fighting union would do, but we are talking about the UAW here which has presided over, hand in hand with management, the decimation of organized labor. The cancellation of the rally is symptomatic of a leadership that needs to be replaced root and branch.
Best of luck to the strikers in the hopes they hold out for their just demands and against the machinations of their misleaders. Check out the websites linked above for more information on the struggle within the UAW.
And you ask why the US workers movement is in such bad shape? I give you the UAW leadership as exhibit A.
April 20, 2008 at 1:34 am
they cancelled the rally-yet all day firiday I heard my local radio station advertising for people to take my aam job. Lets stop being nice and actually hold a rally.Also how about a little more strike pay from their giant strike pay fund,our backs are getting weak…………..yet we stand together.
April 22, 2008 at 2:08 am
steve,
I just read a piece in the New York Times on the UAW and the end of the 20 dollar an hour job and the “middle class” (sic). The article was pretty good unlike the Times’ normal dubious reporting. The upshot was that the UAW negotiated away the 1948 Contract in 2007 with the introduction of tiers and a virtual cap on future wages. The reversal of the 48 deal lowers the bar for workers’ wages across all industries to below 20 an hours from now on. For a family of four; welcome to hard times. For most workers who already make well below 20 the pressure is all downward. Welcome to poverty. Thank you UAW leadership. To be fair; capitalism is the primary culprit here. The leadership of the UAW has to play by the rules because they don’t propose a different game. The downward pressure on wages didn’t start with the UAW. The opening up of new labor markets in Eastern Europe, China and India (and lots of other places) wasn’t the “fault” of the UAW leadership. Still, the less you ask for, the less they give you.
But really, thank you steve and all the UAW strikers for drawing a line at AAM and bucking the whole trend. Its struggles like AAM and the ones at some local GM plants that could set a different tone. My auto worker comrades say that a lot of workers were ANGRY at the cancellation of the rally. Solidarity.