After thousands of Canadian auto workers joined the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike, a deal was reached with General Motors (GM) to end their strike.
Meanwhile, the UAW strike continues with American auto workers warning that they face “poverty wages” as a result of President Joe Biden’s electric vehicle (EV) mandates.
On Tuesday, about 4,300 Canadians at three Ontario-based General Motors (GM) plants joined the UAW strike. GM faced a potential production issue, as the plants produce a number of vehicles, including Chevrolet Silverado trucks, one of the automaker’s most profitable.
Officials with Unifor, the Canadian labor union equivalent to the UAW, accused GM executives of “stubbornly refusing” to match a contract the union has with Ford, which includes up to 25 percent wage hikes.
“Our bargaining team was crystal clear with the company throughout these negotiations: our members are united and ready to strike, no exceptions,” Unifor GM Master Bargaining Chair Jason Gale said in a statement:
Everything our members do, from the trucks we assemble, the stamping plant we run, the engines and transmissions we build, and the parts we deliver, are all critical to GM’s bottom line. This dispute can only end one way: with GM agreeing to the same terms in our pattern agreement with Ford. [Emphasis added]
Soon after joining the strike, though, Unifor officials announced they had reached a deal with GM executives.
Meanwhile, UAW President Shawn Fain continues to warn that Biden’s EV mandates — which the Big Three automakers are happily abiding by — threaten to lower American auto workers’ pay to “poverty wages” as tens of thousands face immediate layoffs.
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CBS News reports:
Automakers are telling workers their jobs are secure, but the union doesn’t see that in the transition to electric vehicles, Fain said. Instead, the companies want to pay “poverty wages” at the new plants and drive down pay in the industry, he said. [Emphasis added]
“It’s really hard to envision a future for us where we have no piece of the battery,” said Fain, adding that 20% — almost 30,000 — of the union’s 146,000 members at the Detroit Three now work in factories that make internal combustion engines and transmissions. [Emphasis added]
Farley and other auto executives have said that because EVs have fewer moving parts, they will require 30% to 40% fewer workers to assemble than gasoline vehicles. But GM CEO Mary Barra insists there will be enough work to bring everyone along. [Emphasis added]
For weeks, auto workers have said they are worried their jobs will be eliminated altogether as a result and that supply chains will be dominated by China, which controls nearly 70 percent of the world’s lithium, 95 percent of manganese, 73 percent of cobalt, 70 percent of graphite, and 63 percent of nickel.
Late last month, reports revealed that talks between the UAW and GM, Ford, and Stellantis have stalled because of the lack of commitment from automakers regarding preserving auto workers’ jobs and wages despite Biden’s EV mandates.
While auto workers worry about their jobs being eliminated, automaker executives are set to score billions in lucrative tax credits thanks to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which will incentivize EV production and sales.
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C-SPANEditor’s Note: This story has been updated.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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