2023-09-27 17:14:27
The “Ford” sign that stands against the gray sky of Wayne, an industrial town on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, has lost some of its splendor, even in this region which constitutes the historic heart of the American automobile industry .
This Tuesday, September 26 in the morning, dozens of angry employees demonstrated there, along the long road that runs alongside the huge assembly factory. Members of the powerful auto workers union, the United Auto Workers (UAW), they have been on strike since September 15 to demand, among other things, a salary increase of nearly 40%.
A movement that affects the “Big Three”
They are far from being the only ones: in total, 18,600 UAW members working for the “Big Three” (Ford, Stellantis and General Motors), the three major manufacturers based in Detroit, have stopped working in the country . Their objective: to extract concessions from these giants accused of reaping profits without sharing them with them, their kingpin. “It has become difficult to live on our salary, whispers Lisa Furton, a single mother who has worked for Ford for nineteen years. It has increased very little in recent years, unlike the cost of living. VSSome of us have to work multiple jobs to survive. »
Behind these wage demands lies a deeper concern. It concerns the future place of these “blue collar” workers in a sector in transition towards the production of electric vehicles. In Wayne, many people take a dim view of this development. Because the manufacture of electric cars requires less labor than thermal models. Furthermore, the factories from which they come are largely located in the Republican states of the south of the country, where labor regulations are less favorable to employees and their unions.
Joe Biden overhang
“Electric vehicle manufacturers, like Tesla, charge lower wages, tend to employ part-time workers, to whom they grant fewer benefits, summarizes Marick Masters, professor of management at Wayne State University, Michigan. Union officials are not opposed to the transition but fear a race to the bottom. »
These concerns put them at odds with Joe Biden, who went to the suburbs of Detroit on Tuesday, September 26 to participate in a strike picket with General Motors employees – an unprecedented gesture for a tenant of the House. White. Champion of the unions, who united behind him in 2020, the democrat is also seen as one of the main architects of this forced march towards electricity. With the ambition that electric vehicles represent half of sales on American soil by 2030, its government is increasing measures (tax incentives, investments, awareness campaigns, etc.) to promote their production and distribution.
“The subject of electric vehicles causes more uneasiness than we think”
For his part, Donald Trump, expected Wednesday evening September 27 north of Detroit for a meeting, is exploiting this tension to create a gap between the UAW and Joe Biden. With 372,000 members, the union organization contributed to the Democrat’s victory in Michigan, a key state in the race for the Oval Office that the billionaire won in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. “Crout Joe should be ashamed of himself for showing himself in front of these hard-working Americans who he stabs in the back,” he declared Tuesday on his social network Truth, just as his rival landed in Detroit.
“Certainly, Donald Trump does not have the support of the union leadership, but part of the base is favorable to him, analyse Marick Masters. Privately, the subject of electric vehicles causes more uneasiness than one might think because it is not fashionable to publicly criticize their development. Trump is therefore right to play this card but I doubt that it will become a major theme of the campaign. »
Striker, Patrick Smalley admits to being divided. Responsible for quality control at Ford in Wayne, he supports Joe Biden but is worried about his policies: “This transition is inevitable but it will be difficult. We want to make sure we don’t lose out. »
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An unprecedented movement that is hardening
The strike in the automobile sector in the United States began on September 15, after two months of unsuccessful negotiations.
This is the first time that a movement simultaneously affects the three historic American manufacturers, the “Big Three”: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, which now belongs to the Stellantis group.
The conflict has hardened among these last two manufacturers: 38 spare parts distribution centers of these two groups are now concerned.
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