The mantras are straightforward, and the demands – in the eyes of those making them – are reasonable: huge wages in line with the 40% wage increase for autoworkers they claim their CEOs have received over the past four years. But for some in the crowd, like 30-year-old auto industry worker Christina Jolly, the chants are driven by a deeper nuance.
“I’ve seen the degradation. I’ve seen the respect erode. The former administration basically taught the auto companies how to treat us. So we just want our fair share. We’re not being greedy. We just want our Want earnings, our much-awaited dignity and respect,” Jolly said.
The United Autoworkers strike is the latest in a year that has seen a historic number of workers walk out. First, it was UPS, then Hollywood.
Now, experts say it’s blue-collar auto workers who are banding together and encouraging others to do the same.
“From the workers’ perspective, it’s a matter of retaining and protecting their jobs in the future. For car companies it’s a matter of remaining competitive with non-UAW companies, including non-US car companies that have gained a lot of market share in the past generation and could gain even more if the deal makes our companies even less competitive. Both sides are engaged in a fight that each side wants to make for its future. “, said Eric Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
These battles are not new for the United Auto Workers. Over the past 30 years, the union has been involved in more than 60 work stoppage incidents, involving 1,000 or more workers, according to one report. Wall Street Journal analysis. And while workers may see this as the minimum value of their qualifications, others consider it unrealistic.
“These are demands that are not based on economic reality, and if they were forced on these companies, it would mean that they would have to shut down their operations and hence no one wins in such a situation. Unrealistic demands mean That companies can no longer operate, so that’s what we’re concerned about at the U.S. Chamber,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Some of the automakers at the center of the strike echo these concerns, saying that a wage increase of this size would increase consumer prices, devaluing domestic vehicles in the face of foreign competition.
But for the people behind the mantras, it’s as much about the food they can put on the table as they can potentially set it up for more attacks down the road.