Stellantis has mentioned transferring some truck meeting to Mexico, UAW says

WARREN, Mich. – Automaker Stellantis has threatened to maneuver manufacturing of the present Ram 1500 pickup truck from a manufacturing facility in suburban Detroit to Mexico, a union chief mentioned Sunday.

United Auto Employees Vice President Wealthy Boyer, who heads the union’s Stellantis unit, mentioned the automaker has mentioned the transfer throughout ongoing contract negotiations which can be occurring concurrently however individually between the UAW and General Motors, Stellantis and Ford Motor.

Boyer mentioned the corporate’s plans would come with producing a brand new all-electric Ram pickup truck on the Sterling Heights Meeting Plant, which presently produces a lot of the Ram light-duty pickups.

Such a transfer would probably obtain some political pushback. It additionally would probably influence the union’s membership, as EVs require fewer employees to provide them. There’s additionally no assure that an all-electric pickup could be as profitable as the present inside combustion engine (ICE) mannequin, which means much less job safety for members.

Boyer, talking to lots of of union members throughout a “Sunday Solidarity” rally, did not maintain again his displeasure in regards to the potential plans, calling out Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares for not caring about U.S. auto employees.

“He do not give a s*** in regards to the American auto employee,” Boyer mentioned sporting a pink UAW shirt with “UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL.” “They’ve mentioned they need to take the Ram 1500 ICE and ship it to Mexico.”

Stellantis, which already produces some Ram pickups in Mexico, didn’t verify nor deny the potential transfer, saying in a press release: “Product allocation for our U.S. crops will depend upon the end result of those negotiations in addition to a plant’s skill to fulfill particular efficiency metrics together with bettering high quality, lowering absenteeism and addressing total price.

“As these choices are fluid and a part of the discussions on the bargaining desk, we won’t remark additional.”

UAW President Shawn Fain mentioned he believes relocating the truck manufacturing would “be an enormous mistake on the a part of Stellantis to attempt it.”

“These are our jobs and that is our car. We count on to maintain that work,” he mentioned.

Talking with CNBC after the occasion, UAW’s Boyer described the continued negotiations with Stellantis as “sluggish and confrontational.”

Fain, who started main the union earlier this 12 months and has taken a extra confrontational tone with the negotiations, mentioned he want to attain tentative agreements with the businesses within the coming weeks forward of the offers expiring at 11:59 p.m. ET, Sept. 14.

‘When Labor Day hits, we higher have agreements. If we do not, there’s going to be issues,” Fain mentioned, declining to foretell the chance of a strike in opposition to one or all three of the automakers. “We’re not married to something proper now.”

Fain earlier this month publicly threw a current proposal from Stellantis into a trash bin throughout a Fb Dwell occasion with members.

Contract talks between the union and automakers normally start in earnest in July forward of mid-September expirations of the earlier four-year agreements. Usually, one of many three automakers is the lead, or goal, firm that the union selects to barter with first and the others lengthen their deadlines. Nonetheless, Fain has mentioned this 12 months could also be completely different, with out going into particular particulars.