"The UAW has your back:" Shawn Fain talks expanding membership to non-union autoworkers
(CBS DETROIT) - United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain says he met with several non-union autoworkers after workers at Honda, Hyundai and Volkswagen accused the companies of illegal union-busting.
Fain livestreamed an update on Monday, Dec. 11, saying the union filed a federal complaint against the three foreign automakers, accusing them of unfair labor practices. However, he said the UAW is supporting all autoworkers at non-union companies.
"Our message to workers is simple: The UAW has your back. And our message to the companies is clear: An attack on a worker anywhere is an attack on workers everywhere," Fain said. "If you come after one autoworker, you're coming after all of us. This is a national movement of autoworkers fighting for autoworkers."
More than 1,000 workers at VW's factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, signed cards authorizing a vote on representation by UAW.
According to the UAW, workers accused management of harassing and threatening them, even confiscating and destroying pro-union materials in the break room.
Additionally, Honda workers accused management of targeting them for pro-union activity at the Greensburg, Indiana, plant. The union also claims management at Hyundai's Montgomery, Alabama plant unlawfully prohibited pro-union materials in non-work areas during non-work times.
Fain said they received messages from non-workers during the UAW strike against Detroit's Big Three.
"Our stand-up strike gave [non-union workers] hope. What we've seen and the outpouring of interest and support among non-union workers is that victory is contagious," Fain said. "In my 30 years at the UAW, I've never seen anything like it."