Ohio Battery Strikers Reject Second UAW-Negotiated Deal

The strike at the Clarios battery plant in Holland, Ohio, is reportedly ongoing after workers rejected a deal struck between the company and negotiators from the United Auto Workers union. Roughly 550 employees represented by UAW Local 12 walked out on May 8th over changes to overtime eligibility and production incentives, with a select few picketing outside the factory entrance.

We last reported the strike after the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas decided to place a temporary restraining order on the workers to discourage picketing. But this does not appear to have weakened their resolve. With the previous five-year contract between Clarios and its employees having expired, workers don’t want to sign onto something they see as a step backwards.

Dave Green, the UAW's Region 2B director, confirmed to The Toledo Blade that a tentative agreement had been assembled over the weekend — noting that it then failed to meet the approval of the workforce.

From The Blade:

Kris Sherman, a Clarios spokesman for the U.S. and Canada, said the company was disappointed that employees did not ratify the agreement despite the UAW bargaining committee endorsing it.

“The tentative agreement offered wage increases, a modern, flexible work schedule, and a significant cash bonus,” Mr. Sherman said. “We are committed to continuing to operate the facility to support our customers and we are evaluating next steps.”

“The members have spoken,” Mr. Green told the outlet via text message. “I work for them and will do everything possible to get them an agreement they can be proud of. The UAW is a membership-driven organization and the leadership works for them. We expect the company to come back to the table.”

Though details on the matter are limited as the negotiations continue and answers about how things are progressing change depending upon you you ask. The World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) has a political angle that often puts it at odds with establishment viewpoints. But it usually keeps close tabs on labor activities and claimed that the “UAW bureaucracy” had failed to support workers by agreeing to a pro-company contract. Based on claims from members, an estimated 75-80 percent of the plant’s workforce voted against it.

Individuals told WSWS that the new contract was virtually the same as the previously UAW-backed deal, which workers rejected by 98 percent on April 27th.

The proposal was for a three-year contract and included the previous 3 percent annual wage increase as the first one. However workers have claimed this does not keep pace with elevated inflation rates and changes in piece rates issued by Clarios which have resulted in as much as a $10 an hour pay cut for some workers. UAW officials reportedly attempted to focus on an increased signing bonus —a taxable $3,500 payment, up from $1,500 in the first agreement — as akin to the desired pay increase. But members did not appear to be interested.

Though the biggest issue has to be the changes in scheduling. Whereas the old contract had workers becoming eligible for time-and-a-half pay for anything over eight hours a day, the current proposals have straight extended to twelve hours a day. Meanwhile, Clarios is reportedly trying to pivot to schedules where employees work staggered shifts that will keep them right at the threshold with twelve-hour days that yield no overtime.

The UAW managed to limit the scheme to employees hired into the expanding TBS department, which utilizes new machinery (assembled by the UK-based TBS Engineering) and is supposed to serve as the future direction of the firm’s battery production lines. However, workers seem to think it’s just a matter of time before they’re all on the new lines anyway.

“Basically, nothing changed, except the signing bonus,” one worker told the WSWS. “If we signed this, they would basically rip out all the old machinery and build new lines, and all of us would be on the [updated] TBS schedule. It would take about six months, and the schedule would be introduced for the whole company. They also want all the new guys on the 12-hour schedule. But we’re fighting for the new guys. A lot of us have kids we want to come here to get jobs, and we are not going to screw them.”

Some workers also seem concerned at the president this contract would set for other automakers and suppliers. Contract negotiations are right around the corner for General Motors, Ford Motor Co., and Stellantis.

“The union officials backed this contract, especially the big wig from UAW Region 2-B who tried to make this seem like a good deal. They need to get out of the way and let the rank and file decide,” said another union member from the plant. “The 2-2-3 [scheduling scheme] will affect the new hires and all the workers on the lines the company is expanding. By 2025, the whole plant could be under the TBS department. They must really think we are stupid to bring back this contract. The union tops are working against the workers. But we can see what’s coming.”

“I would say to our brothers and sisters at GM, Ford and Stellantis: Our fight is your fight. We all have to stand together. They are nothing without us. The whole industry rests on our shoulders, not theirs. If we stand together and say enough is enough to these guys, we can win what we need.”

[Image: Daniel J. Macy/Shutterstock]

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