John,

Auto workers are preparing to go on strike.

The current UAW (United Auto Workers) contract expires on September 14, and workers are demanding fair pay with benefits and an end to two-tiered wages―a hiring system in which workers doing the same jobs get paid much less.

As auto worker and union member Ricky Brand, a Ford worker for the last 9 years, said in a recent interview:

"It is hurtful to sit next to people and make less than they do and work just as hard as they do no matter what industry and what you're doing."

Auto workers hired today are making $10 an hour less than what they made in 2007, when adjusting for inflation. In addition, the majority of workers employed by the Big Three―Ford, GM, and Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler)―are now considered temporary or “supplemental” workers, even though they’re being asked to work the same hours as full time workers, but at lower wages with less healthcare and no retirement benefits.

While corporations are fighting back against workers’ rights and wages, the Big Three automakers raked in a combined $20 billion in profits in just the first 6 months of this year.

Click here to send a message directly to the CEOs of Ford, GM, and Stellantis and demand they meet workers’ demands of fair pay with benefits.

Last year, the CEOs of Ford, GM, and Stellantis each made between $20 and $30 million―a 40% increase from just a few years ago and approximately 365 times the pay of their average employee.

Meanwhile, workers are struggling to put food on the table and stay in their homes.

The corporate assault on our communities is real. That’s why it’s so critical that we stand in solidarity with UAW workers and demand justice for all working people. I’ve been proud to march alongside workers in Michigan, and I’m inspired by their fight for what they deserve.

When my dad started working at Ford and joined the UAW, he was able to obtain benefits after 90 days. He qualified for a pension and benefited from the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) that was part of the union contract. There were no tiers or temp worker status. It's time for the Big Three to do right by the workers who sacrificed so much to help them stay afloat in 2009.

Let’s have the backs of autoworkers in Detroit and across the country! Click here to watch a brand new report from our friends at More Perfect Union, then send a message directly to the CEOs of Ford, GM, and Stellantis and demand they meet workers’ demands.

Together, we’re holding greedy corporations accountable while fighting for the rights and wages of working people everywhere.

In solidarity,

Rashida