As the United Auto Workers strike continues, the union is accusing non-union contractors of violence in opposition to picketers — together with in a Flint, Mich., incident this week when 5 hanging employees at a General Motors elements depot have been hit by a car, and two of them have been hospitalized.
The union on Thursday launched a video by which UAW President Shawn Fain mentioned, “We condemn this violence that GM and Stellantis are enabling,” and referred to as on the general public to affix the picket strains.
GM
GM,
and Stellantis
STLA,
on Thursday each denied having employed any outdoors alternative employees.
General Motors spokesperson Kevin Kelly mentioned Thursday that the suspected driver of the SUV that hit the picketers was “a third-party housekeeping contractor” who was performing “normal duties,” and never a short lived alternative employee. Kelly added that the corporate is cooperating with an investigation by native authorities, and that the contractor and two others who have been within the car have been banned from any GM properties.
In the video, Fain additionally referred to a UAW member and a Massachusetts state senator who have been allegedly hit by automobiles at a Stellantis elements depot in Massachusetts, and to UAW members in Southern California who he mentioned had had weapons pulled on them by non-union truckers, additionally at a Stellantis elements depot.
It was not instantly clear which Massachusetts state senator was allegedly hit by a car. The UAW has not responded to a request for the title of the senator.
Patrick Lozeau, the monetary secretary for UAW Local 422 in Massachusetts, mentioned in an interview with MarketWatch on Thursday that Paul Gato, the employee who was damage in that state, was hit by a tractor trailer that pulled right into a driveway in a short time late final week. Lozeau mentioned Gato was “thrown backwards several feet” and needed to go to the hospital in an ambulance, however is doing higher.
Since then, Lozeau mentioned, “we have police coverage 24/7 now.” Originally, there have been simply two cops assigned to the ability, and solely at sure instances. “Yesterday, there were 16 picketers and 23 police officers,” he mentioned.
See: UAW might increase strike once more on Friday
Stellantis spokesperson Jodi Tinson hit again in opposition to Fain’s accusations, and in flip accused hanging union employees of directing violent conduct and verbal abuse at different firm workers who had crossed the picket line.
“We are appalled by the UAW’s characterization of the incidents occurring on the picket lines,” Tinson mentioned, calling Fain’s statements within the video “misleading and inflammatory.”
Tinson added: “Since the UAW expanded its strike to our parts distribution centers last Friday, we’ve witnessed an escalation of dangerous, and even violent, behavior by UAW picketers at several of those facilities, including slashing truck tires, jumping on vehicles, following people home and hurling racial slurs at dedicated Stellantis employees who are merely crossing the picket line to do their jobs.”
Tinson didn’t instantly reply to MarketWatch’s request to offer hyperlinks to stories of such conduct.
A UAW spokesperson wouldn’t touch upon the Stellantis accusations Thursday. The union did share the directions it had given hanging employees about picket-line dos and dont’s, which embody encouraging employees to conduct peaceable patrols close to worker entrances and discouraging employees from stopping or blocking anybody from coming into or leaving firm amenities.
Lozeau has labored at Stellantis for 23 years, going again to the Chrysler days. He mentioned that “it’s not worth endangering anyone,” and that he and his fellow union members simply need a truthful contract and to get again to work.
“I want to walk back in there upright,” Lozeau mentioned.
Read extra: Union information cost over violence in opposition to hanging L.A. lodge employees, organizers
See additionally: Violent clashes are marring a summer time of labor solidarity. Here’s what occurred at a marriage.
Source web site: www.marketwatch.com
