TOLEDO, Ohio — United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain made an appearance on the picket line at Toledo's Jeep Assembly Complex on Saturday, rallying workers amid the ongoing strike.
Fain's presence comes the day after the third expansion of the UAW's strike against the Big Three, which began after contracts expired late on the night of Sept. 14. Two plants -- the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant and the General Motors location in Lansing, Michigan -- were called on to join the strike on Friday, affecting an additional 7,000 workers.
"We're willing to fight as long as it takes," Fain told the crowd at the picket line on Stickney Avenue. He praised the dedication of Toledo Jeep workers, who were among the first UAW members ordered to strike.
“It's why we picked Toledo. Just like the Jeep they make, it’s one of the most rugged vehicles that’s ever been made. It was there during World War II and it’s been there ever since and these workers are just like that Jeep,” Fain said. "They’ll stand here and they’ll be here until the end. You’re not going to beat them.”
Fain also acknowledged the $500-per-week of strike pay that workers received for the first time Friday and will now rely on until a deal is reached.
“At the end of the day, this pain is temporary,” Fain said. “We can either endure temporary pain and have long-term success or we can give up and keep on losing.”
The number of employees on strike currently stands at 25,000 people, Fain said in a livestream on Friday.
“We’re all in this together and we’re going to get there together. We are going to move mountains and we’re going to make this happen,” Fain told Toledo Jeep workers. “And we’re going to bring the best damn contract we’ve seen in our lifetime.”
The Toledo Jeep Assembly Complex, owned by Stellantis, was one of the first three plants Fain initially called on to begin the stand-up strike.
Fain said the UAW received communication from Stellantis and made "significant progress," and therefore would not be calling on any Stellantis plants to strike.
"In just the first six months of 2023, the Big Three raked in $21 billion in total profits. And although workers gave generous concessions through the Great Recession, the automakers have refused to meet members’ reasonable demands, including cost of living adjustments, fair pay, an end to tiered wages and a just transition to electric vehicles," the UAW said in a press release prior to Fain's appearance.
"It’s time they pay up," Fain said. "So we expect to deliver on a lot of our demands. Where that’s going to end up, I don’t know, we’ll see."
Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, also visited the Toledo picket line with Fain.