Lordstown auto workers rally in Detroit as UAW contract talks open

SEE ALSO: Documentary features Lordstown GM workers, Trump promises

By GRAIG GRAZIOSI

ggraziosi@vindy.com

DETROIT

As negotiators for the International United Auto Workers began the first day of contract negotiations with General Motors at the company’s Detroit headquarters Tuesday, UAW rank-and-file from Baltimore, Toledo, Michigan and Lordstown rallied outside. 

Two busloads of UAW Local 1112 members traveled to Detroit to show support for the international union and voice opposition to GM’s decision to close the Lordstown Assembly Plant in March. 

The workers were dressed in red T-shirts with the phrase “Invest in Lordstown” across the front and “Team Jones, Dittes, Rankin” on the back. The three names reference UAW President Gary Jones, Vice President Terry Dittes and Region 2B director Rich Rankin. 

Dan Gregory, a 13-year veteran at the Lordstown plant, joined the group because he wanted to put a face to the statistics. 

“When people read about what’s happening, they see the number of jobs lost and the number of people leaving. This puts faces to those numbers. There are real people behind those statistics, and we’re out here today,” Gregory said. 

The fate of the Lordstown Assembly Plant will be one of the topics discussed during the contract negotiations. The International UAW has an active lawsuit against GM alleging the company violated its contract with the union by closing plants prior to the end of the previous contract period. 

GM maintains that the plants aren’t closed, but “unallocated,” which the union argues is a semantic tactic to obscure the closures of the five North American plants. 

Contracts between GM and the UAW expire on Sept. 14. 

Dan Morgan, Local 1112’s shop chairman, organized the trip. 

“There were quite a few members that mentioned they wanted to go to Detroit to let their voices be heard,” Morgan said. “So we organized it and decided what better time to do it than the opening of negotiations.” 

More than 100 UAW members from five chapters stood outside GM’s headquarters with signs, soliciting drivers to beep in support as they sped by. 

Despite the obvious frustration with the company’s decisions, the interaction between the workers and the general GM corporate employees was largely positive. 

Inside the towering headquarters, members who brought their children on the trip took them to see a full-size truck made out of Lego while others took photos of some of the rare GM cars on display, including a blue 1967 Camaro that became the flagship car of the Hot Wheels toy car line. 

Many of the workers, such as 22-year Lordstown veteran Dan Jaric, are preparing for their next steps despite holding onto some hope that the plant will be saved during negotiations. 

“You never know,” Jaric said. “It might happen. I’m going to be ok, I’ll probably retire in a couple of years. I’m more concerned for the younger guys who are 10 or 20 years out.” 

Jaric was also critical of GM’s decision to build the Chevy Blazer in Mexico. 

“They’re paying people $2.50 an hour to build that car. The people who are building that car don’t even make enough to buy one,” he said. “It’s a shame GM can be that cold-hearted that it’d put these people out of work and force these families to move like this.” 

Despite GM’s decision to close five North American plants, it is also investing heavily in others. In June, the company announced it would invest $4.2 billion into three of its truck and SUV producing plants. The company has also increased its presence in South American and Chinese auto markets since 2016. 

These investments leave little for workers like Jaric and Guy White, the shop chairman for the UAW Local 239 out of Baltimore. 

White learned in April that the GM Baltimore plant would be closed, with a total loss of 325 jobs. 

“They have enough jobs in Mexico to reopen three American production shifts,” White said. “We need to get those jobs back here. All we can do now is wait and see what the negotiating team can do.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, a presidential candidate, issued a statement as talks began: “I stand with the each and every UAW member fighting for their rights as they start contract negotiations with GM today. These men and women travelled from Lordstown and other cities across the nation to make their voices heard. They have dedicated their entire lives building GM’s award-winning cars and they deserved better. I urge GM to negotiate in good faith and put the priorities of their workers first.”