Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, filed eight lawsuits Oct. 7 against the United Auto Workers (UAW) and 23 local units, accusing the union of breaching their contract by threatening to strike due to the automaker's postponed investments.
The lawsuits were filed in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Arizona, Massachusetts and Oregon.
The new lawsuits join a similar one Stellantis filed Oct. 3 against the UAW and its Local 230 in Los Angeles after the union members at the Los Angeles parts distribution center voted for strike authorization. This vote was in response to grievances over Stellantis's faltering on promised investments.
The union has argued Stellantis is violating the terms agreed upon last fall, which included significant financial commitments to various facilities, including a $1.5 billion pledge to revamp the shuttered Belvidere, IL, assembly plant for new mid-size truck production by 2027.
The UAW's proposed reinstatement of the Jobs Bank -- a concept that prohibits layoffs but was a factor in the automaker's 2009 bankruptcy-- was rejected by Stellantis during a meeting Oct. 5. Stellantis argued that such measures could jeopardize the company's future.
In July, the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to award Stellantis $334.8 million to convert the Belvidere Assembly plant to build electric vehicles (EVs), though this award is yet to be finalized. This comes amid Stellantis's contention that their investment plans, including those for EVs, are always subject to market conditions, which have recently shown a slowdown in demand for EVs.
