"The forced overtime – we are working to death. We are working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, every day, week after week, month after month, year after year. We are burned out,” added Ferdinandsen. “These companies are profiting the way that they are and trying to convince the American people that they’re hurting, but in the same breath coming out and bragging about it, and then telling us they can’t afford everything that we’re putting out there. They’re forcing our hand to strike. It is not going to be on the UAW. What we’re asking for is everything that we lost, everything that they’ve taken from us, everything that they betrayed us with. That’s all we’re asking for and they have the means to give it back.”
“The union has bent over backwards to make these companies successful. They can no longer cry ‘Well, we can’t afford it, we can’t afford this.’ They are making money hand over fist off the backs of the workers and it’s time that workers get their fair share,” added Candela. “It’s time somebody cares. It’s time somebody takes the bull by the horns and starts negotiating a living wage contract for all members, active and retirees.”
Behind these immense profits, Fernandinsen argued, is a workforce that is being overworked with mandatory forced overtime and divided along different pay tiers and temporary statuses.
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“There’s no point in having a big pomp and ceremony where we act like we’re friends, and we’re working together, when we’re not,” said Fain, while meeting with workers at a Ram truck factory in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
And Fain has taken a combative approach toward the automakers, emphasizing the immense profits of the corporations, multimillion-dollar executive salaries and the concessions workers took due to the 2008 economic recession that have yet to be repaid in subsequent contracts.
Tony Candela, a retired autoworker since 2011 after working for decades at Chrysler (now Stellantis), served in various roles in union leadership, including as president of UAW Local 136 in Missouri.
Current employees also made concessions during the 2008 financial crisis that have yet to be reversed, including the elimination of cost-of-living adjustment raises, changes that limited overtime compensation and the enactment of a two-tiered wage system.
A spokesperson for Ford added: “We look forward to working with the UAW on creative solutions during this time when our dramatically changing industry needs a skilled and competitive workforce more than ever.”
In a statement, Stellantis criticized Fain and claimed the union’s demands were not feasible: “The theatrics and personal insults will not help us reach an agreement that continues our proud history of providing good wages and benefits to our employees and maintaining Stellantis’ ability to be competitive in the market … We are committed to working with the UAW to reach an agreement based on economic realism, one that supports the long-term health and viability of our operations while responsibly rewarding your contributions.”
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