Solidarity with Uaw

Floor Speech

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand in solidarity with our UAW workers. I have seen many negotiations in my lifetime, but these are the most important I have ever witnessed, and I am likely to, in my career.

The industry is at a crossroads, and quite frankly, the domestic auto industry's future is at stake.

We must manufacture electric vehicles here in America to stay at the forefront of innovation and technology in the world. We are competing in a global marketplace, and these workers are critical to it. They are the backbone of the American economy.

This is not a talking point moment. This is where the rubber is meeting the road.

Too many people are trying to make this an either/or, that you can protect the environment or you can protect the worker, but you can't do both. We can and must do both.

There are a lot of important issues on the table right now, but let's talk about the autoworkers. This industry was near bankruptcy in 2008 and 2009, quite frankly, because of poor management decisions. Nobody wanted to see the auto industry go bankrupt, so the workers stepped up and said they will give up their cost-of-living adjustment to help save this industry.

In reality though, it is 2023, and those workers' wages in real terms are 10 percent less than what they were making in 2008 and 2009. They just want their wages to keep up with inflation.

Workers need to be able to support their families. I have talked to these workers. I am in their halls. I am not just going because suddenly there is a strike. I am in a union hall every single weekend. These workers are working overtime shifts just to support their families.

It is not fair that someone is a temporary worker for 8 to 10 years and is not making benefits. It is not right that someone is on the line doing the exact same job somebody else is doing but being paid less because they are a different tier.

Everybody in our country benefits when our workers are paid well and paid their value. Autoworkers deserve a decent wage and benefits. By the way, when they do well, it raises all people's wages.

We cannot forget that there are many things that we enjoy today, like a 40-hour workweek, benefits, sick days, pensions, nurse-to-patient ratios, teacher-to-student ratios, safe working conditions, that were negotiated by a union so that we would all benefit.

I want a competitive auto industry. I am not going to let China or any other country beat us. I am going to work hard for a competitive auto industry. We need to make sure, as the industry goes through this transition, that we are protecting the workers, that their livelihoods are safe and they are not left behind.

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Mrs. DINGELL. Will the gentlewoman yield?

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, as I said, the workers were telling me in the halls this weekend how much overtime they have been working just to keep up, but there also have been chemical spills that are happening in nonunion plants. We have to talk to the occupational health and safety people about what is happening. There are people who are worried.

I mean, there really are workers who have been temporary, so they are getting paid, but they are not getting any benefits. There are a lot of issues.

By the way, they don't want to see the companies destroyed. They need a competitive auto company so their jobs are safe. What they want is just to be paid a fair wage for the work that they are doing.

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