The United Auto Workers (UAW) union this week filed unfair labor practice charges against Daimler Truck North America (DNTA) as the two sides work to extend a labor agreement that expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 26.
Union members last month authorized a strike if necessary – a measure that passed by 96% among the workers who build Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Thomas Built Buses.
In the four charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board, UAW alleges DTNA has engaged in retaliatory actions against workers who have participated in union activities or expressed support for the union; unlawfully interfered with workers' rights to organize, bargain collectively and engage in other concerted activities for mutual aid and protection; discriminated against workers based on their union membership or activities; and failed to bargain in good faith with the union regarding wages, benefits and working conditions.
In a statement provided to CCJ Thursday, DTNA said it was "currently engaged in good faith Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations with our UAW partners for a new contract that will benefit all parties and allow Daimler Truck North America to continue delivering the products that enable our customers to keep the world moving."
The current labor agreement covers more than 7,300 workers at DTNA production facilities in North Carolina and parts distribution centers in Atlanta and Memphis.
"Daimler Truck thinks it can intimidate us by trampling on our rights," UAW DTNA Council President Kenny Dellinger said via statement. "These unfair labor practice charges are a necessary step. It’s time for Daimler Truck to get serious about negotiating a record contract without violating the law."
UAW is seeking an agreement that it says "reflects the record profits the company has garnered and includes the long overdue fair wages and working conditions workers deserve."
In a media campaign launched in late February, UAW workers at DTNA sites in Cleveland, Mount Holly, Gastonia and High Point, North Carolina, laid bare their frustration with a workplace that's "not like it used to be." Employees interviewed for the campaign by UAW cited the need to work additional jobs to make ends meet, wages out of synch with the pace of inflation, and a lack of job security, among other concerns.
UAW scored several high-profile labor contract wins across the U.S. automotive manufacturing sector last year, and also kicked off a nearly month-and-a-half long work stoppage at Mack Trucks facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida.
