WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Pennsylvania U.S. Senators John Fetterman and Bob Casey, Ohio U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, and 31 bipartisan colleagues introduced a resolution in solidarity with 150,000 members of United Auto Workers (UAW) bargaining for a fair contract, with 34,000 currently on strike against the Big 3 automakers.
Autoworkers voted to go on strike in September – calling for a fair share of the record-breaking profits their labor produces as well as cost-of-living adjustments, an end to the two-tier wage system, and restoration of pension benefits.
“The union way of life is sacred, it built Pennsylvania and this country,” said Senator Fetterman. “I have already joined striking UAW workers on the picket line three different times in just the past few weeks, twice with striking Big 3 workers and once with MACK Trucks workers. As I’ve said again and again, I will continue to show up until these workers get what they deserve. As long as they walk the picket line, I will have their backs. I am proud to join with my colleagues to introduce this resolution and show our solidarity to UAW workers on strike in Pennsylvania and across this country.”
“I’ve stood in solidarity with United Auto Workers Local 2177 workers in Bucks County, PA, and stand with all UAW members as they fight for their fair share. The basic dignity of workers is at stake here and it’s important that we use our voice to support them in their fight,” said Senator Casey. “For too long, CEOs and corporations have benefited at the expense of the hardworking Americans who build and power our Nation. The Big 3 must come to the table with an offer that reflects what workers in Pennsylvania and across the Nation deserve.”
“We stand in solidarity with autoworkers in Ohio and around the country as they demand the Big 3 automakers respect the work they do to make these companies successful. Any union family knows that a strike is always a last resort – autoworkers want to be on the job, not on the picket line,” said Senator Brown. “UAW workers made sacrifices to save the American auto industry. Now the Big 3 are making record profits – all workers are asking for is their fair share. These companies need to bargain in good faith and agree to a fair contract that honors the Dignity of Work.”
Sens. Fetterman, Casey, and Brown were joined on the resolution by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).
Read the full resolution below and here.
RESOLUTION
Supporting the nearly 150,000 United Auto Workers currently negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the ‘‘Big Three’’ automakers.
Whereas the United Auto Workers (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘UAW’’) are on strike for better wages, benefits, and working conditions at the Big Three automakers (General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford);
Whereas the Big Three automakers have made $21,000,000,000 in profits over the first 6 months of 2023, an increase of 80 percent from the same time period last year;
Whereas the Big Three automakers have made $250,000,000,000 in profits over the past decade in North America;
Whereas the Big Three automakers are providing their Chief Executive Officers with exorbitant compensation packages, while autoworkers continue to fall further and further behind;
Whereas the average wage for an autoworker has decreased by 30 percent over the past 20 years, after adjusting for inflation;
Whereas the Big Three spent $9,000,000,000 last year on stock buybacks and dividends, while the average starting wage at these companies is just $17 an hour;
Whereas many UAW members today cannot afford to buy the cars they make and struggle to afford the basic necessities of life, including groceries, housing, child care, and prescription drugs;
Whereas UAW members are fighting against corporate greed and to finally receive a fair share of the record-breaking profits that their labor has produced, including for cost-of-living adjustments, an end to the 2-tier wage system, and the restoration of pension benefits; and
Whereas, since the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) in 1935, it is the clear policy of the United States to encourage collective bargaining and protect the fundamental right of workers to seek better working conditions: Now, therefore, be it
1 Resolved, That the Senate—
1 (1) stands with the United Auto Workers in
2 their fight against corporate greed
3 (2) supports every worker’s fundamental right
4 to organize and collectively bargain for better wages,
5 benefits, and working conditions; and
6 (3) calls on the Big Three automakers—Gen
7 eral Motors, Stellantis, and Ford—to negotiate in
8 good faith and offer their workers a fair contract.
