Members of the United Auto Workers union picket the General Motors Lansing Delta plant on September 29, 2023 in Delta Township, Michigan.
Rebecca Cook | Reuters
DETROIT — Republican governors in six states on Tuesday denounced the United Auto Workers’ efforts to organize auto plants in the South, warning the union’s efforts could lead to layoffs and less future investment.
this Joint Statement The bill was signed by the governors of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas just as Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, began voting on whether to join the U.S. Auto Workers The day before the union.
The Volkswagen vote is part of an unprecedented labor organizing drive announced last year by UAW President Sean Fein that targets 13 automakers operating in Southern states and elsewhere. Last year, the union signed record contracts with: General Motors, Ford and Chrysler parent company star.
Elected state leaders, including Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, argue such contracts provide short-term aid but have long-term negative impacts on jobs and investment.
“We work tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to bring good-paying jobs to our state. These jobs are already part of the fabric of the auto manufacturing industry. Unionization will certainly put jobs in our state at risk — in fact, in the process “Since the beginning of this year, all UAW automakers have announced layoffs,” the statement read.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee smiles at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, July 10, 2021, in Dallas, Texas, United States.
Dylan Hollingsworth | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The UAW, which is also organizing a vote for Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama, did not immediately respond for comment.
Since the United Auto Workers signed a contract with Detroit automakers, the companies have been making takeover offers and laying off salaried and hourly workers.
Automakers have been cutting costs, in part to invest billions in all-electric vehicles and prepare for slowing market conditions and fears of a recession.
Stellantis, the product of the January 2021 merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group, is at the forefront of the layoffs, but many of them are supplementary or temporary workers who, under the deal, do not receive the same wages or benefits as traditional assembly plant workers.
transatlantic automaker reportedly cut This year, the company added more than 1,000 complementary workers, citing a review of its manufacturing operations “to ensure all facilities are operating as efficiently as possible in extremely challenging market conditions, with all actions consistent with the 2023 collective bargaining agreement.” Agreement” with the requirements of the UAW. The company has also cut shifts at at least two Jeep plants, citing the complexity of the agreement, among other reasons.
UAW President Shawn Fain speaks before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee about the consequences of workers’ work hours at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 14, 2024. Witness the loss.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
Ford Voluntary buyouts were offered to workers and layoffs were announced, but many of the laid-off workers were transferred to other nearby plants.
GM also offers voluntary buyouts, although much, if not all, of its post-contract layoffs are in response to changes at the plant. For example, the company laid off 1,300 workers in Michigan as two plants stopped making cars.
In addition to Lee of Tennessee, other Republican governors who signed the statement include: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Tate Reeves is the governor of Mississippi. An earlier version misrepresented the status.
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