This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.
Solidarity Rally For Striking Stellantis Autoworkers Held In Ontario
UAW members picket outside a Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, on Sept. 18, 2023. Cost-of-living-adjustments have become another major point of contention between automakers and the union.
(
Sarah Rice
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
The United Auto Workers local chapter 230 organized a solidarity rally in Ontario Tuesday as President Joe Biden joined auto workers on the picket line in Michigan. At the Stellantis parts warehouse in Ontario , 140 workers are on strike.
Stellantis said last week that it made a very competitive offer to the UAW and questioned the union's motives for expanding the strike.
Why it matters: Stellantis auto worker Mark Fernandez said he made $26.85 an hour in 2008, and that today, his hourly pay is $31.
“I worked for the company for 29 years and I can't even afford to own my own product,” Fernandez said. “I can't afford to own a brand new Dodge Ram. I don't make enough. We make these vehicles and we can't even afford our own product.”
“There's no middle class, and it's time for the working class to stand up and bring our pay up, so we can provide for our families, so we can live a normal American dream,” he said.
Impact on the consumer: Jesse Ramirez, the local United Auto Workers chapter president who organized the solidarity rally, said the autoworkers strike will make it harder for people to get their vehicles repaired.
Sponsored message
“The company has put all of this pressure on the consumer who now is going to have a hard time going out to the dealer and getting their cars repaired,” he said.
Ramirez added that the strike could also result in a new car shortage.
What’s next: UAW members are asking for cost of living pay raises, the end to a tiered system of wages and pensions for new hires. The Stellantis facility joined 37 other auto facilities across the nation on Friday in a Stand Up Strike.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
