UAW Dues Hike Supported By Membership According to Union President

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

The United Auto Workers will, for the first time since 1967, ask their membership to pay a 25 percent increase in dues to the union in order to shore up their strike fund and fight for better contracts, a move outgoing UAW president Bob King believes the membership will overwhelmingly support.

The increase will be voted upon during the UAW’s Constitutional Convention this June, which is also when members will vote for a new president to lead the union in their effort to unionize autoworkers at foreign-owned plants throughout the southeastern United States. Currently, union members pay two hours’ worth of their wages every month; the increase would tack on another 30 minutes of earned income to the strike fund, which has $600 million at the ready, down from a peak of $1 billion.

Speaking of unionization of the South, King believes the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. will soon join the UAW rank and file once an election process is agreed upon. Though the union claims to have received signed cards from a clear majority of the plant’s autoworkers, critics dispute the idea that the UAW has such a majority in place, nor would the plant be unionized without an election.

Volkswagen says they will respect whatever decision their Chattanooga plant makes, with Volkswagen Group of America CEO Michael Horn invoking the values of American democracy in a statement made at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show January 13 regarding the eventual vote to either join the UAW or remain non-union.

TTAC Staff
TTAC Staff

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  • Number6 Number6 on Jan 17, 2014

    Politicians are getting mighty expensive to buy off these days, aren't they?

  • El scotto El scotto on Jan 18, 2014

    Lost in the litany of cheap shots, union bashing and other jack-nape comments, a vital point is lost. Labor unions exist to provide collective bargaining for their members. The UAW exists to represent their members at the bargaining table. Sorry to disappoint the cafe Camus' and bar stool blowhards.

  • Mikey Mikey on Jan 18, 2014

    @ el scotto....."Labor unions exist to provide collective bargaining for their members" So many folks struggle with that concept. For the record, I paid union dues to both the UAW and the CAW. I always have , and always will, figure I got my moneys worth.

    • Big Al from Oz Big Al from Oz on Jan 18, 2014

      @el scotto Socialism existed for 'collective' ownership. So, why can't an individual have ownership of his position? Why does it need to be collective? To capitalise his/her position. Like I stated a unionist/socialist is the worst form of capitalist. Without a true capitalist a unionist/socialist couldn't exist. If everyone was socialist, well, you'd have the USSR. As you can see it was hugely successful.

  • Mikey Mikey on Jan 18, 2014

    The 2007 to 2010 era in the North American auto industry, was a nightmare for anybody connected to the buisness. The top dogs at GM, American Axle, Delphi, Ford and Chrysler walked away with millions in bonuses, and guaranteed pensions. The very same people, whose enept, and incopetant management run multi million dollar companys to the ground. Rick W...20 million and a sweet pension for life. Fritz Henderson ai'nt working at Wallmart! Many of the middle, and lower management people, that migrated to the spin offs, ended up with f. a. Lots, and lots of salary guys, and girls, were looking forward to cashing in thier shares, to help with retirement. They got pennies on the dollar. I was as low on the totem pole as you could get. The CAW went to bat for us. Yeah! We took some cut backs, it sucked,but way better than the alternative. So you will have to excuse me, if I don't line up for the union bash. Without the union, GM would have left us out in the cold, exactly the way they did for the non union salary workers. Rant away guys!

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