UAW announces initiative to organize non-union factories

The United Automobile Workers union announced Wednesday that it is undertaking an ambitious initiative to organize factories owned by more than a dozen non-union automakers, including Tesla and several foreign companies — a goal that has long eluded it.

The move comes weeks after the UAW won new contracts from General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis that included pay increases of 25 percent or more over four and a half years for the 146,000 members employed there.

In addition to Tesla, the campaign targets two other electric vehicle start-ups, Lucid and Rivian, and ten foreign-owned automakers: Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Volkswagen, Mazda and Volvo.

If the UAW gains a foothold among these companies, it could mark a major shift in the U.S. auto industry, where non-union manufacturers have long had a significant cost advantage over Detroit automakers.

The union said the organizing drive was prompted by demands from several thousand workers at non-union factories.

“Workers across the country, from the West to the Midwest and especially in the South, are trying to join our movement and join the UAW,” the union’s president, Shawn Fain, said in a statement .

On Wednesday, the UAW activated websites where workers can electronically sign union cards that serve as an official confirmation of their desire to have union representation. Previously, the UAW had received signed cards from more than 30 percent of the workforce at a handful of plants. the threshold required under federal law for the union to move forward with a vote on unionization, a person familiar with the matter said.

This is a development story. Check back for updates.