By Timothy F. Murphy, Esq. and Meaghan E. Murphy, Esq.

This has been a remarkable year in labor relations.  For instance, the surge in strikes nationally has put 2023 on pace to have the greatest number of strikes and workers out of work since 2005.  Of course, strikes capture headlines, but there is so much more to talk about, too.  That’s why, Skoler Abbott is hosting a Breakfast Briefing on December 14, 2023, at 8:30 a.m., to try to make sense of what it all means for employers. (Details will follow regarding registration but save the date for now).

The UAW’s six-week strike against the “Big Three” automakers has expanded again as 6,800 workers at a Dodge Ram pickup truck plant in Michigan joined the strike this week.  With that, approximately 40,000 of the 150,000 UAW members employed by the Big Three are now on strike.

As we wrote about last month here the UAW started with a strike at one plant at each of the Big Three: Ford Motor, General Motors and Stellantis NV (formerly Chrysler), and has gradually expanded them to other factories and warehouses to ratchet up the pressure on the three companies.  Reportedly, the companies have improved their contract offers, but the parties remain far apart. 

Both sides seem to have one eye on how the outcome of the strike will impact non-union automakers and workers.  Last week, William Ford, the head of Ford, was quoted as saying, “Toyota, Honda, Tesla and others are loving this strike because they know the longer it goes on, the better it is for them.  They will win, and all of us will lose.”

According to Tim Smith, director of UAW Region 8 – which includes all of the Southeast – a good contract settlement would cause non-union workers to say, ‘Look what the U.A.W. did for these workers at G.M., Ford and Stellantis.”  He added, “We’ve got organizers on the ground there right now, and we’re starting to make our move.”

As the UAW strike drags on, its impact will only grow for workers, companies, and their communities.

We’ll update you on strikes and all the labor law changes that matter for union and non-union employers at our briefing Labor Law Year in Review: What you Missed and What’s Coming Next on December 14, 2023 in Springfield.  Stay tuned for registration details.