'We've got to stay strong'; UAW members prep for possible strike

Record ID: 1742104

  • Title: 'We've got to stay strong'; UAW members prep for possible strike
  • Date: 14th September 2023
  • Summary: DETROIT, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 14, 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF UNITED AUTOWORKERS LOCAL 51 MEMBERS (SOUNDBITE) LUIGI GJOKAJ, 38, STELLANTIS WORKER AND VICE PRESIDENT OF UAW LOCAL 51, SAYING “What was the phrase? An honest day's work for honest day's pay. And the work part has been there. The pay part hasn't. It's just we have not been made whole from from the 15 years of saving this company. I mean, that’s half a generation. We spent half a generation to save this company. And they’ve been making record upon record upon record profits ever since. And they want to almost insult us and say, ‘well, you know, we treat our workforce like family.’ If that's how you treat your family, I don't want to see how you treat your enemies.” (SOUNDBITE) CRYSTAL CHILDREY, STELLANTIS WORKER AND MEMBER OF UAW LOCAL 51, SAYING “We want to bring back the American dream. We work hard and it's time for us to get what we deserve. We just want our fair share, plain and simple.” (SOUNDBITE) VAQUITA TAYLOR, 40, STELLANTIS WORKER AND MEMBER OF UAW LOCAL 51, SAYING “And then the fact that we can't control what we can't control, but we know there are things at the table that we believe in. And just having our fair share for our fair work is one of them.” (SOUNDBITE) DARWIN SEGERS, STELLANTIS WORKER AND STRIKE FACILITATOR FOR UAW LOCAL 51, SAYING “We've got to stay strong, stay united, stay positive. You know, when it's that time, we're going to walk in solidarity. That's what we're going to do." VARIOUS OF SEGERS (SOUNDBITE) DARWIN SEGERS, STELLANTIS WORKER AND STRIKE FACILITATOR FOR UAW LOCAL 51, SAYING “You know, our challenge is to, you know, just to mentally prepare ourselves and financially prepare ourselves as well for those, what’s ready to happen.” (SOUNDBITE) CRYSTAL CHILDREY, STELLANTIS WORKER AND MEMBER OF UAW LOCAL 51, SAYING “Well, I mean, we make sacrifices every day. The long hours that I have with work and missing all of our kids' programs, not being able to do the sports with them. So we have to take a financial sacrifice, then it's just a different sacrifice. But we've been sacrificing in this whole time. So we're willing to do it.” (SOUNDBITE) VAQUITA TAYLOR, 40, STELLANTIS WORKER AND MEMBER OF UAW LOCAL 51, SAYING “In order to stand for something, you have to have a little footing behind you. And so we've been telling people for months, save your money. We don't know what's going to happen. We're hoping that these corporate companies will be fair about things, but you never know. It's a gamble. Well, all I know is people have been coming to work. They're doing their job. And I told everybody Saturday morning, that's what we've been pushing is save your money. So, again, we don't know what's going to happen. We just hope everybody's prepared and we're moving forward.” VARIOUS OF TAYLOR
  • Embargoed: 28th September 2023 22:43
  • Keywords: 51 AUTOWORKER AUTOWORKERS BIG CAR CARS CHEVROLET CHEVY CHRYSLER DETROIT FAIN FORD GENERAL LOCAL MICHIGAN MOTOR MOTORS SHAWN STELLANTIS STRIKE THREE UAW UNION UNITED
  • Location: DETROIT, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES
  • City: DETROIT, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events,North America
  • Reuters ID: LVA001215914092023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: U.S. automakers and union negotiators representing the United Auto Workers expressed little hope that a deal would be reached to avoid a midnight walkout.
    The UAW has outlined plans for a series of strikes targeting individual, undisclosed U.S. auto plants if agreements are not reached by late Thursday (September 14) in lieu of a full walkout.
    “We've got to stay strong, stay united, stay positive," said Darwin Segers, a 49-year-old Stellantis assembly worker and strike facilitator for UAW Local 51 in Detroit, Michigan. "When it's that time, we're going to walk in solidarity. That's what we're going to do."
    The UAW said it was planning a rally in Detroit on Friday that will include UAW President Shawn Fain, Senator Bernie Sanders and other members of Congress, coinciding with a first of day of expected walkouts.
    (Produced by Eric Cox)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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