Get to Know the UAW
Who is the UAW?
The UAW is a business. The UAW’s annual revenues are estimated to be around $300 million. The vast majority of the UAW’s revenues are derived from its members’ paychecks in the form of union dues, typically a full 2.5 hours of pay per month from each member.
How many members are in the UAW?
The UAW’s membership has declined from 1.5 million in 1979 to about 380,000 members and only half of the UAW’s members are even in the automotive industry. Oddly enough, more than a quarter of UAW members currently work in higher education and another 10,000 members work in the casino or gaming industry.
Why has the UAW been unsuccessful at growing its membership for decades?
We believe that many workers leave or avoid joining unions because they recognize that their own long-term job security and compensation are directly linked to the success of their employers. At SIA, we believe that it is only when we work together as a team that we can beat the competition. A recently leaked message from a UAW Communications Official statement read, “If we can keep them [GM, Ford & Stellantis] wounded for months, they don’t know what to do...this is recurring reputations damage and operations chaos.” Based on the UAW’s own words, the UAW’s strategy has been to intentionally wound and weaken the very companies that employ their members. Numerous surveys show that teamwork, open communications, and good working relationships are the primary components of worker satisfaction and success in business. Most individuals do not desire or enjoy working in an adversarial “us” versus “them” workplace that is typical in a unionized work environment.
Why is the UAW trying to organize SIA Associates?
We believe the UAW is desperate to increase the number of dues paying members. A high-ranking UAW official stated, “if we don’t organize these transnationals, I don’t think there’s a long-term future for the UAW, I really don’t.”
How does the UAW feel about Japanese Automakers, like Subaru?
The UAW has a well-documented history of bashing foreign automakers, particularly Japanese automakers like Subaru. The UAW once aggressively pursued “Buy American” campaigns that were intended to marginalize the market share opportunities of foreign automakers. These campaigns completely ignored the thousands of Americans (and Hoosiers) who supported themselves and their families by building Japanese automobiles right here in America. In the case of SIA, these campaign tactics were a direct threat to your long-term job stability and the corresponding prospects of the reliable, high-paying production jobs offered by SIA. Ironically, the UAW seems to want to switch its stance and is now seeking to organize SIA Associates and collect a percentage of your pay in the form of union dues. On the electrification front, recently (in March 2023), the UAW came out against the U.S. government’s plan to allow subsidies to go to Japanese-based automotive companies like SIA to help fund their transformation to electrification, in a continued effort to marginalize foreign automakers like Subaru.
Our Position on Unions
SIA’s Associate concept is based on trust in the individual and recognizes our commitment to ensure a positive working environment. By joining together as a team, we can best accomplish our mutual goals—assuring the success of the Company and providing greater opportunities and job security for Associates and their families. We do not believe that a third party, such as a union, is necessary at SIA.