The United Auto Workers union said that thousands of auto workers at more than a dozen non-union automakers have launched campaigns to join the UAW.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the union said the organizing drive will cover 150,000 autoworkers across 13 automakers: BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo
It's the first major step since union's Stand Up Strike targeting the Big Three led to record contracts for auto workers. The strike, which lasted several weeks, targeted Ford, General Motors and Stellantis all at once.
Throughout the strike and after, UAW President Shawn Fain said the goal was to expand UAW membership to non-union automakers throughout the U.S.
"When we return to the bargaining table in 2028, it won’t just be with the Big Three but the Big Five or Big Six," Fain said in October.
According to the union, one of the largest campaigns is at the Toyota assembly plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, where the UAW said 7,800 workers make the Toyota Camry, RAV 4 and Lexus ES.
After the contracts were reached with the Big Three, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Nissan all announced raises for their non-union workers.
In a video from the UAW, Fain said, "To all the autoworkers out there working without the benefits of a union: now it's your turn."
The union also created a website, uaw.org/join, where workers can learn more about the organization process and sign an authorization card.
Fain has broken the automakers into three categories: the German Three (Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW), the Japanese & Korean Six (Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru, Mazda) and the EV Sector (Tesla, Rivian, Lucid).
"The money is there. The time is right. And the answer is simple. You don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck. You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay your rent or feed your family while the company makes billions. A better life is out there," Fain said.
