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Editor’s Note
On September 12, 2023, approximately 45,000 members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) began a historic six-week strike at the Big Three automakers (Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis). The strike, which ended on October 30, yielded important gains for UAW members and has led to new organizing efforts in the auto industry. For this article, New Labor Forum’s “Working-Class Voices” columnist Kressent Pottenger interviewed Patrick Lozeau, a warehouse worker at a Chrysler plant. He is the financial secretary of UAW Local 422.
I am a warehouse worker for the Chrysler plant in Mansfield, Massachusetts. I have been a member of the UAW at Chrysler since 2000 and now serve as the financial secretary for Local 422. Our warehouse ships original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts to the auto dealers. I get up at 4 a.m. to drive to the plant to start work at 5:30 a.m. We have some overtime. They frequently schedule us on Saturdays because it is, in their words, more efficient. You miss a lot of family time. When you try to explain that to the bosses, they do not want to hear anything about it. The biggest physical toll is definitely on the second shift (from 3:30 p.m. to midnight), removing parts from the shelves—it’s called picking. We pick a lot of rotors, alternators, and heavy parts that are fifteen to thirty pounds. It is constant bending, stretching, reaching, and lifting.
We actually have higher injury and occurrences than the manufacturing workforce. Occurrences are near misses: They might culminate in an injury that does not get reported because it does not fit Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s criteria as a reportable injury. Or maybe it was a safety issue and should be analyzed and fixed. Management writes people up for injuries. Currently, every write-up includes “failure to follow instructions” as a way to blame the worker and get around progressive discipline.
In most, if not all, assembly-line manufacturing plants, they have hydraulic assists to pick up heavy parts—anything more than twenty-five pounds. So, manufacturing workers are much more controlled. If they pick up a vehicle, it is with a device. When we pick up a door, it is in a cardboard box. Our work is not quite as consistently pounding on you like an assembly line, but we have different hazards than manufacturing workers do.
The training after you start is minimal. Most of it is repercussions for getting injured. New hires get about three-and-a-half to four days of safety training. We have videos. There is a computer kiosk program that we complete. The format of training is multiple choice based on slide shows and short videos. Then you go onto the shop floor with a trainer. The trainer does the machine training. You learn how to operate our tow vehicles and fork trucks. We mostly use a standup fork truck, called a stacker.
The normal day-to-day operations are on first shifts, loading trailers, putting stock away, and processing returns. On the second shift, they are picking: you have a scanner that tells you where to go in the warehouse. Workers have a small printer they carry on them. The computer tells them the path to travel. They drive or walk to the location and start picking. You basically do that repeatedly until break. Then repeatedly again until you go home. It is just repetition over and over. It gets to the point where it is hard for workers to focus, because you are doing the same thing so much. There are forty-six Chrysler workers at my warehouse and four UAW members who work for a janitorial company. We have two managers and two on-floor supervisors. It is mainly men who work in the warehouse. There are four to five women warehouse workers. Everyone has a set schedule for putting stock away. Management can call mandatory or voluntary overtime during the week, but a lot of Saturdays are mandatory. You would work six to eight hours on a Saturday, and just extend your week. It is frustrating knowing we could be doing this work during the week, instead of going to the plant and missing family time. The company considers it “more efficient” to schedule workers for a whole shift versus a couple of hours here and there. They also do not want to extend hours to the maintenance workers. Our local contract stipulates that anything more than twelve people requires a maintenance person. Management will call for eleven people to stay during the week instead of everyone.
Our main injuries are sprains and strains: lower back, shoulders, and elbows. The company does not even call them injuries anymore. The company calls them “workplace illnesses” from bending and stretching for twenty years. That is why your back hurts. It is not because you got hurt, but because it is an illness from the way they have the job set up. When COVID-19 hit in the beginning of March 2020, the virus really spread. When it got more publicized that it was not just the flu, we got face masks and plastic shields. We did a lot of social distancing. As far as lunch tables and work areas, you were not supposed to be too close to someone. Obviously, we know now that all of that was useless because it lingered in the air, but we did what we thought was right at the time. We put in extra cleaning for surfaces, which was not the problem, but it was still nice to have a nice shiny building for a little while. We were all given the option, thanks to the union, that if we wanted to go home, not work and take whatever unemployment was willing to give us, we could do that. I took advantage of that. My family’s health and safety is more important. Money is nice, but you cannot buy families. A lot of people took advantage of that. It was hard on those who wanted to stay.
In terms of sick days and vacation, we have a lot of time available to us, but there are limited slots. We have [government] earned sick time in the state of Massachusetts: workers in the state of Massachusetts can earn up to one hour of sick leave for every thirty hours that are worked. So, we can call in for a sick day after thirty hours of work. However, the company rescinded our emergency time off this year. They used poor attendance as a reason to take this contractual obligation away from everyone. A lot of people with medical issues count on those emergency days. UAW strengthened the language around this in the new contract. There now needs to be negotiation over the days affected. Attendance is a huge sticking point with the corporation. They do not realize that a lot of these policies, like mandatory Saturdays or the elimination of our emergency time off, have alienated the younger workforce. Young workers do not have a pension. I do. The last thing I want is to get fired, lose my job, and lose my long-term security. But with the reduced pay that we had until the new contract, a lot of younger workers—who were not eligible for a pension—did not really have the onus on them to stay. It did not pay enough to be better than working at Chipotle or Dunkin’ Donuts, where the work is less strenuous. It was not a good enough long-term job. We have had a lot of attendance problems across the corporation with younger workers. At the end of the day, I cannot really blame them. The corporation bumped up their 401K retirement savings plan contribution, but the pension is the big thing that gives you a lot of loyalty to the corporation.
Hardcore contract negotiations started at the end of June 2023. We saw it play out on television with a lot of rhetoric from the company about how a strike is not how to do things. A week later, they are on CNBC, telling everyone they made sixteen billion dollars in the first half of the year. Auto workers were ready to go on strike. The first group of workers went out on September 15. Then our local went out on September 22. We had heard rumblings a couple of days before that we were going out, so there was not a “surprise” really. I was out of work on the picket line for five weeks. Workers were mostly glad to do our part, fighting for fair wages and benefits. I hope the public saw that we were fighting for our rights and to get our fair share. None of us want to be millionaires or buy Ferraris or anything like that. We are just trying to take care of our families. In our new contract, the starting rate for a new hire as a temporary worker is now twenty-one dollars an hour, an increase from $15.89. In the first ninety days they can get rid of an employee for any reason. Some continue as temps after that, and some are hired as permanent employees. In the new contract, temporary employees must work for nine months. Then they are either let go or are hired permanently.
Over the life of the contract, new hires would max out at an hourly rate of $35.26. In nine months, they would earn an hourly rate of $24.68, at one year $26.45, at two years $29.97, and at three years $35.26. In a high cost of living area in the Northeastern region of the country, that is still not a lot of money. That is getting-by money. That is not family-thriving money. The pay parity is there now, which is awesome. I am in my late 40s. I see the aches and pains every day. I can understand how important health care is, especially retiree health care which new hires after 2011 still have not gotten. They do not get a pension. So, it is still a two-tier contract. They get approximately 10 percent into their 401k plans, which is a lot compared to everyone else but not compared to workers on the floor who have a pension. I have security. When I turn fifty-four years old, if I want to, I can retire. I am going to have at least food, gas money, and health care until I die.
Anyone hired after 2011 does not have the defined benefit pension. A defined pension plan is a guaranteed fixed amount once you retire, based on your salary and amount of time worked. Workers hired after 2011 do not have retiree health care. The differences between the tiers are defined benefit pensions and health care in retirement. The second tier has 10 percent put in their 401k by the corporation and does not have health care in retirement. In America, this is probably more valuable than the pension. In the civilized world, everyone has health care. The pension would be the icing. Honestly, if I had to pick one of the two, I would take the health care that allows you at least to live with some dignity. That is a whole nationwide problem. UAW has a good healthcare plan: full medical, mental health, dental, and vision coverage after ninety days. Zero dollars out-of-pocket expense, and no yearly deductible. In the new contract, many of the temporary workers are going to see big economic gains over the next four and a half years with the wage increases. However, I still do not think we got enough. Inflation has not kept up with wages and—because we have not gotten increases consistently over the years—at the end of this contract, I am going to make less than I would have with just inflation that I make right now. It has been so long since we had a raise. We gave up a lot when the companies went bankrupt during the “Great Recession” of 2008. We still have not scratched that back.
There were two things that really struck me personally from the strike: in our shop, we had fifty people, and we ran a picket line 24/7, rain or shine. We all had four-hour shifts, seven days a week. We held the line 24/7 with a lot of support from other local unions. Everyone did more than their fair share because of that sense of duty to do your part. We had a ton of support from local unions: other locals from the AFL-CIO, Teamsters, IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), painters, and union plumbers. We had everyone down there helping us as volunteers, visitors, and guests. I did not expect that. We had one lady in her early seventies that marched with us from 6 to 10 a.m. every single day. Just to help out.
We are part of a huge national union, and luckily our strike pay was $500 per week. I know things would have been much more difficult if we were one of the newer independent unions like Starbucks or Amazon that might not have a strike fund or have a very limited fund to rely on. Most of the stress was the uncertainty about how long we were going to be out. I appreciate the gesture from President Biden to walk the picket line. But I can also look at the administration sending railroad workers back to work instead of letting them picket. I see the administration sending sternly worded letters to the Southwest pilots that they had to get back to work. That pulls our negotiating power away from us and gives it back to the corporations. They know that if you can strike, they do not have to give you as much. That is the ultimate power of the people. To be able to just tell the corporation that you are not going to keep taking what they are gonna give you. We got a lot of what we wanted in the new contract, but there is a lot to continue to fight for.
In the new contract, we were able to ensure that the electric vehicle plants will be unionized under the master contract with UAW. There will be less job loss under the new contract but still an estimated job loss of 40 percent due to the electric vehicle transition. In the warehouses, there will be less work: no filters, engine internals, significantly less fluids, and lubricants. Most of all, less brake parts which make up a significant portion of our daily work. How many pieces are in a car, and how many of them are dedicated toward internal combustion engines? My warehouse is already slated to close at the end of next year. We can see the writing on the wall. That was one of the conditions of the contract. Take it or leave it. We have to accept it, which feels like we are a bit of a sacrificial lamb.
At the end of the day, I am going to move to New York because I have to. My pension is the most important part of the job to me. My local is scheduled to move into a new building in 2025. It is three hours away from most people’s families, schools, favorite doctors, and their churches. It is too far to commute. You cannot count on coming back here every week. It is a big hassle. People like myself, for example, have six and a half years left to be vested in my pension. Unfortunately, I do not have any choice in the matter. I have to go to New York. My daughter will be graduating high school right around the same time, and my son is older. It will be less of a hassle for me, but we have a lot of people that have young children. They need their family’s help to get through the workday. It is a hard decision for a lot of people to make. All the company cares about is efficiency. Car companies realize that they are going to need to ship out less parts in the next five to ten years than they do right now. We have seen that the corporation would give $8 billion toward battery factories. The companies turn around and use that money to make joint ventures with foreign companies. They did not want to have any of those jobs in our master contract. We are going to lose around 40 percent of our workforce once the switch is completely done. I think that if there is going to be money tied to it changing in the future, I do not think the worker should be left behind. In 2008, General Motors and Chrysler went bankrupt. The only reason there is a future for these companies after the bankruptcies is because of the workers. Auto workers gave up their retirement benefits. Without what we gave back, they would have all been gone.
In our new contract, there is a lot of frustration with the newer hires—that there are still tiers. Everyone that had ninety days in is getting flipped to permanent status right away. But the pay is so low for the area that we have only had around five hires in the past three years. We have had openings every day since then. We cannot fill them because there was not enough pay—you can just go work at Target in the air conditioning and with nice, shiny floors. At the end of the day, our job is better because of health care and the 401k contribution, but a lot of young people do not see that. They only see the $250 to $699 a week that they would make, you know? Temporary workers are going to be limited to nine months. After nine months in the future, they are all going to be flipped to a permanent status which is good. It does not let the company abuse temporary workers. There are people in Detroit who have been making the minimum pay for seven to nine years. They keep laying them off for three months and then rehiring them. The company wants temporary workers; they are paid the least and have fewer benefits. The assembly plants, where thousands work, have had full shifts of temporary workers. People need permanent jobs, and higher pay. It might be a little easier to do that in the Midwest, where cost of living is lower. But around here, they could not hire two temps if they wanted to. The pay just is not enough. We all should have gotten the pension. I think that should have been the fight.
The strike has really opened my eyes about the need to help other people unionize to get what they deserve. I just attended a strike vote of the Service Employee International Union 32 BJ in October 2023, at the Back Bay Events Center in Boston, Mass. I went up there doing the same thing I am doing right now: talking about organizing. We need to do better with helping other people. I keep my eyes open every day to find people that are picketing or doing walkouts. Trying to find someone to go help—bring them a case of water or whatever they need. I think the UAW members themselves are rejuvenated by the strike. A lot of the impetus for all this was the younger workers. The people under thirty years old have finally realized that they are not going to have what their parents had. Their life is going to be harder. Elon Musk has $260 billion. Jeff Bezos has $200 billion. You have people that cannot afford housing. They cannot afford food for their kids. To me it is insane that one class of people can have so much, and just walk all over everybody else. An easy way to show support is not to cross the picket line. If you see someone picketing, run over to Dunkin’ Donuts, and grab them a six pack of bagels. Help them out. Everyone’s wages rise because of the people picketing. They are just trying to do what is best for their family. If you think the corporation has your best interests at heart, you are 100 percent wrong. That is what I would tell every person on the street. I think it is just the bare minimum: pick up a sign and walk with them for half an hour.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
The author wants to thank Maida Rosenstein, Organizing Director of Local 2110 UAW, for the introduction to Patrick.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
