UAW faces Caterpillar with other issues in the air

The United Auto Workers’ international runoff-election vote count starts March 1, just hours after the union’s contract with Caterpillar expires, possibly leading to a work stoppage by some 6,000 members of four UAW Locals in the Peoria area, Decatur, Pontiac and York, Pa.

If they walk out, it would be the third strike at a big construction-equipment manufacturer in a short time, after Deere and CNH.

Days after main bargaining started Jan. 23, a reported 98% of the 3,600 Local 974 members casting ballots voted to authorize a strike, giving union leaders the power to call a strike.

Local 974 bargaining chair Bobby Koller in the union’s December/January newsletter reminded workers about striking.

“[To] all members that are full-time, part-time, supplemental or in the probation period: In the event we go on strike, you are very much protected on the gates. If you choose to cross the picket line and report to work, you are not protected by the grievance procedure and can be terminated by the company for any reason.”

Contract talks are happening as the international union is changing. After a 2014 scandal resulting in convictions of two UAW officers, two Fiat-Chrysler executives and others, federal intervention sought greater UAW transparency, and a rank-and-file referendum voted to start using direct elections to choose leaders. The result was UAW’s secret-ballot, mail-in election concluding Dec. 2, but since no candidates won a majority in several races, a runoff was required over January and February.

Opposing the current administration was the Members United group, which fielded candidates and won 5 of 14 seats on the executive board, including two Vice Presidents and the Secretary-Treasurer, but the race for President between incumbent Ray Curry, challenger Shawn Fain and others failed to end with an overall majority.

Besides corruption by a few national leaders, the union isn’t as strong as the post-war era, when legendary Walter Reuther’s faction won the leadership of the million-member union and influenced it for decades. But in the ’80s, employers’ increasing threats to “permanently replace” lawful strikers, competing foreign manufacturers, factory shutdowns and outsourcing work to Right-To-Work states or even overseas all hurt organized labor. At the UAW, there was dissatisfaction with concessionary contracts such as the last settlement with Fiat-Chrysler, and anger about divisive two-tier wages (paying new hires less than existing workers).

However, recent years saw growing strength, from a six-week strike by 50,000 GM workers in 2019 to successfully organizing the Ultium Cells battery plant in Warren, Ohio. About 10,000 workers struck Deere for more than a month, and achieved a 10% raise, and the union settled a five-month strike by 1,000 workers at CNH, though not without some displeasure by strikers resentful of the company’s plan to hire scabs.

The UAW’s membership is changing, too; for instance, college workers represented by the UAW now make up almost 20% of members.

“It sounds like part of what’s behind the strike push is the big win at Deere,” said Labor Notes journalist Jonah Furman. “Deere workers were already better off than those at Caterpillar in the first place, meaning expectations may be high for improvements at Cat, and the notoriously anti-union company may likewise be looking to make a stand.”

Local 974 leaders didn’t respond to repeated inquiries, but UAW Local 180 President Yasin Mahdi in Burlington, recovering from the CNH strike, encouraged UAW International leaders facing negotiations this year with Cat, Ford, GM and Stellantis (formerfly FiatChrysler).

“Don’t cut them any slack,” he said.