Daimler Truck Workers in North Carolina Are Poised to Strike

Workers who make vehicles and buses for Daimler Truck in North Carolina appeared poised to strike on Friday as contract talks remained deadlocked.

A contract masking 7,000 Daimler workers represented by the United Automobile Workers will expire on the finish of Friday. The German firm has 5 factories in North Carolina, the place it builds Freightliner and Western Star vehicles, Thomas Built buses, and numerous parts.

A strike, which appeared possible barring a last-minute breakthrough, would open one other entrance within the U.A.W.’s marketing campaign to develop its energy in Southern states the place unions have lengthy been weak.

The U.A.W. scored a major victory this month when staff at Volkswagen’s manufacturing unit in Chattanooga, Tenn., voted to be represented by the union. Workers at a Mercedes-Benz manufacturing unit in Alabama will vote on whether or not to unionize in mid-May.

Workers at Daimler Truck, which cut up from Mercedes-Benz in 2021, have been represented by the U.A.W. for a number of many years. The union has adopted a extra assertive stance after successful the most important pay will increase in many years for staff at Ford Motor, General Motors and Stellantis, the proprietor of Jeep, Chrysler and Ram, after strikes on the three corporations final 12 months.

A positive contract for Daimler staff would add momentum to the U.A.W.’s drive to prepare U.S. auto factories, together with at corporations like Toyota and Tesla.

In addition to pay will increase and higher advantages, the Daimler Truck staff say they’re looking for extra job safety after the corporate moved some manufacturing to Mexico.

The negotiations made some progress this week after Daimler agreed to a profit-sharing plan for staff, in response to the union. But the 2 sides remained far aside on different points, together with pay, computerized cost-of-living will increase and well being advantages, the union stated.

Workers will go on strike, the U.A.W. stated, “until we get the historic deal we’re demanding.”

Daimler stated in a press release that it was engaged in good-faith negotiations “for a brand new contract that can profit all events and permit Daimler Truck North America to proceed delivering the merchandise that allow our prospects to maintain the world transferring.”