Headline: Bernie Sanders Calls Out Automaker CEOs for “Corporate Greed” Amidst Strike
Subtitle: Senator Bernie Sanders addresses striking United Auto Workers in Detroit, Michigan, demanding fair treatment and higher pay.
Date: September 15, 2023
Detroit, MI – Senator Bernie Sanders delivered a passionate speech on Friday, addressing striking United Auto Workers (UAW) employees in Detroit, Michigan. Sanders called out automaker CEOs for their “outrageous level of corporate greed and arrogance” during the union’s “Stand Up” strikes against General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford.
“The fight you are waging is not only about decent wages and working conditions,” Sanders proclaimed. “It is a fight against the greed and arrogance of CEOs who think they have a right to have it all and could not care less about the needs of their workers.”
Sanders directly targeted General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, and Ford CEO Jim Farley, accusing them of making exorbitant profits while their workers suffer. “We refuse to accept a society in which so few have so much and so many have so little,” he added.
The senator emphasized the importance of negotiating a fair contract that acknowledges the enormous sacrifices made by the workers over the years. “It is time for you to end your greed,” Sanders stated unequivocally. “It is time to treat your employees with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
The strike, which began on September 15, 2023, marks the first-ever coordinated action by workers at the “Big Three” US auto manufacturers. Workers are demanding higher pay, with the union seeking a more than 40% general pay raise for rank-and-file members over four years.
Currently, full-time assembly plant workers at Ford and GM earn $32.32 an hour, while part-timers earn approximately $17 an hour. Full-time employees at Stellantis earn $31.77 an hour, with part-time workers earning close to $16 an hour.
In addition to higher pay, the UAW is also advocating for the conversion of all temporary workers to permanent positions, cost-of-living adjustments, increased pension benefits for current retirees, and restored pensions for new hires.
As negotiations between the union and automakers failed to reach an agreement on Thursday night, workers initiated strikes at a GM plant in Wentzville, Missouri; a Stellantis plant in Toledo, Ohio; and a Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan. Meanwhile, plants not called upon to strike will continue operating without a contract, according to UAW President Shawn Fain.
The UAW strike poses a significant challenge to the US economy and threatens President Joe Biden’s 2024 re-election momentum. The outcome of this confrontation will shape the future of labor relations in the auto industry and has drawn national attention.
FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.
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