Rep. Grim Stands with United Auto Workers

COLUMBUS - State Rep. Michele Grim (D-Toledo) today announced that she is fully supportive of the Stand Up Strike and all United Auto Workers (UAW) union members. UAW members agreed that they would strike if an agreement was not met by 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, September 14, 2023.

“I stand in solidarity with the brothers and sisters of the United Auto Workers who are making the courageous decision to strike. CEOs of companies like Stellantis need to be held accountable for their callousness towards workers’ rights. Companies will attempt to spin the narrative, but what workers are seeking amounts to basic pay increases and restored benefits. Toledo is a community where we support one another. Stellantis will soon see that in full force,” said Rep. Grim. 

UAW members are currently striking and picketing at three locations across the nation, including the Stellantis’ Toledo Assembly Complex, a GM site in Wentzville, Missouri, and a Ford assembly location in Wayne, Michigan.

General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis have authorized $5 billion dollars in stock buybacks with their CEOs having received a 40% salary increase. The companies have earned $24 billion dollars in profits in the first half of 2023, indicating the success of the auto industry for the last few years. However, workers have been asking for wage increases, new working conditions, and to restore benefits that were cut while companies were struggling in the 2008 Financial Crisis, and these requests have not been met.

Rep. Grim is fully supportive of federal legislation like the ProAct and Senator Sherrod Brown’s Workers Healthcare Protection Act. She believes that we need to update our labor laws and strengthen our workforce. Strikes have been happening across the country, from actors to autoworkers, and Rep. Grim believes we must support everyone’s right to a living wage, and a good job.