The UAW alleges that Stellantis failed to address the complaints of workers at the Warren Stamping Plant
- Workers at Stellantis’ Warren Stamp plan say the automaker has failed to address their health and safety concerns.
- As a result, the UAW will vote to authorize a strike on Monday, May 6th.
- If approved, 1,100 workers could stop operations at the plant, impacting Stellantis production across North America.
The United Autoworkers (UAW) union has announced it will hold a strike authorization vote at the Stellantis Warren stamping plant in Michigan over health and safety complaints that workers say remain unresolved.
“We are committed to health and safety at Warren Stamping,” said Romaine McKinney III, president of UAW Local 869. “When it rains, the facility floods because the ceiling leaks. We’ll have to fight for every single pair of work gloves as we handle metal and materials to build world-class vehicles for Stellantis. The list goes on and we’re putting an end to it.”
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The UAW claims there are a variety of problems at the facility, including problems with the fans, ergonomic mats, lack of personal protective equipment, lighting and basement flooring, oil leaks, plumbing, flooding and more. Stellantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If a strike is approved, around 1,100 workers could stop operations at the stamping plant, which sends parts such as hoods, roofs, lift gates, side vents, fenders and more to assembly plants across the continent. A work stoppage could impact production of Ram trucks as well as the Jeep Wrangler and Wagoneer.
Stellantis is in the midst of a series of disputes that threaten to affect production in North America. The automaker is also at odds with its suppliers, with whom it takes a tough negotiating position and refuses to negotiate prices.
That has led to the automaker being embroiled in three lawsuits. Some argue that bad blood has surfaced since Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot merged to form Stellantis. As more and more decisions are made from headquarters in Paris, the company’s relations with employees on the American side of the ocean have deteriorated.
Stellantis is also working to keep costs down as the company faces competitive pressures and uncertainties in the market. That led to 400 U.S. employees being laid off late last month. However, the automaker received criticism after its CEO, Carlos Tavares, received a 56 percent pay increase in 2023.
