“UAW Strike Revs Up in Alabama as Detroit’s Big Three Stands their Ground

UAW Strike begins at Mercedes-Benz Supplier in Alabama On Tuesday, the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) strike began against a Mercedes-Benz supplier in Alabama, Buyers Tool and Die, Inc. This continues the ongoing strike against Detroit’s Big Three automakers as union workers demand better wages and improved working conditions. The UAW strike at Buyers Tool and Die started after eight hundred workers united and voted in favor of the labor strike. The company had failed to provide the union workers with the necessary pay and benefits they were requesting. The workers wanted a pay increase of sixty-five cents an hour, as well as more than eight per cent raise in their health care benefits. The Director of UAW’s Region 8, Matthew Gedoni, stated that the UAW workers have shown their dedication to the cause and should be respected for it. He said, “I am proud of UAW members at Buyers Tool and Die. We stand in solidarity with workers and fight for a contract that respects and appreciates their hard work and contributions to the company.” The strike at Buyers Tool and Die came in the midst of a larger strike that is ravaging the Big Three automakers in Detroit. The strike was initiated one week ago and has thus far caused hundreds of millions of dollars in lost wages. Since the strike began, unions from the Big Three factories have been reaching out to other companies in the area, looking to gain the same advantages that they are fighting to get in Detroit. As the strike continues in Detroit, and now Alabama, it is becoming ever more clear just how determined the UAW is to win better wages and benefits for their workers. And while the UAW strike at Buyers Tool and Die may not seem like much, it is still sending a strong message to other companies: Workers need to be respected and paid fair wages, no matter how big of an employer you are.