UAW Local 2000 marches in Sheffield days ahead of possible strike

SHEFFIELD — Brian Dorsey stood on the side of Abbe Road in the village Saturday, holding up a sign and chanting in unison with dozens of other autoworkers. The Brownhelm Township resident and veteran Ford worker of nearly 30 years was outside the United Auto Workers Local 2000 hall, surrounded by fellow autoworkers, their children, spouses and supporters at the corner of Abbe Road and French Creek Road. "I'm here to support my brothers and sisters of the UAW Local 2000," Dorsey told a reporter. The solidarity rally happened just days ahead of a possible strike by the UAW against the big three Detroit automakers, which could happen if new contracts aren't reached. Passing drivers honked their support of the union workers as pro-union slogans and chants filled the air. "Who are we?" came the call. "UAW!" came the response. Marchers carried blue signs reading "Justice for retirees," "Record profits, record contracts," and "United for a strong contract." They cheered every time a car honked its horn in support. The back of their many red shirts said: "Solidarity 2023. 'Starts with me.' We are the union." A union health and safety representative, Dorsey said he wants a safer work environment in which to build quality American products, and for the unions to get back what they lost in concessions to the big three automakers around the time of the $17.4 billion bailout by former president George W. Bush in 2008. "We gave them concessions, we got nothin' back," Dorsey said. The UAW has also demanded an end to tiered pay. Whereas veteran workers in one tier can earn $28 per hour or more, union members said that's $10 or more per hour than what their mostly younger co-workers earn in a second tier. Workers hired after 2007 make somewhere between $16 and $19 per hour, according to both workers at the rally on Saturday and an explanatory story posted online by MSU (Michigan State University) Today that gave some examples of what the UAW wants from Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — formerly Fiat Chrysler. Dorsey said his son, also an autoworker, will have to work eight years before he reaches the full pay rate. That's more than twice as long as the three years Dorsey worked before he made full rate, he said. And when Dorsey's son does retire? He won't have a pension or medical benefits to fall back on, his father said. "I want my son to have everything I have," Dorsey said. Another 30-year veteran autoworker, Bobbi May of Lorain, said she's seen retirees get out of their cars at the UAW hall and limp into the building after "beating up their bodies" for years in factories and on assembly lines. The auto plant is "where your body gets broke up," she said. A member of UAW Local 1250 in Brook Park, May said she was marching in solidarity with Local 2000 on Saturday, having spent 12 years with Local 2000 in the past. May said workers deserve raises, tiered pay needs to go away, and she wants quality-of-life guarantees, job security promises, temporary full-time workers to get permanent jobs and longer breaks. "We were never made whole" after making concessions in the mid-2000s, May said. And when workers suffer, so do the schools and small businesses in the communities supporting auto manufacturing, she said. The UAW rejected wage and benefit offers from the big three automakers on Friday. It has demanded 46 percent across-the-board increases over four years, the Associated Press reported. UAW President Shawn Fain told workers in a Facebook Live appearance that he filed proposals from Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in a wastebasket, the AP reported. "The automakers have yet to offer our members a fair contract," he said. Fain said automakers can afford raises to make up for inflation and previous concessions because they're making billions in profits and paying millions to CEOs. He blamed auto price increases on corporate greed. With five days to go until a strike deadline affecting nearly 150,000 autoworkers, May said she thinks the majority will vote to strike. Dorsey said he hopes not to, "but if it comes to it, we should strike for the right reasons," he said. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.