Ten lessons from the 2019 GM strike
by Sean Crawford
Sean Crawford works at General Motors and is a member of Detroit DSA.
Bargaining for new contracts with the Big 3 automakers will begin soon, and looks to be headed toward a strike, as the only way we can recoup decades of concessions. Here are some observations I made while walking picket lines in Southeast Michigan during the 2019 strike at General Motors:
1. We need to clearly state what we are fighting for so we can focus on a common goal. We are powerful when we come together, but in order to do that we have to know which direction we are pulling. All we had in 2019 were vague, generic and uninspiring “UAW on strike” picket signs. We need to be loud and proud about what we want: Everyone Tier One! Pensions for all! COLA is calling! These are the demands that will stir hearts and minds, rally the hesitant to our cause and show the world what we are fighting for.
Fortunately, with a shortage of picket signs in 2019, Detroit DSA helped fill the gap by making “Everyone Tier One. Solidarity Forever!” signs, which were a big hit! This kind of creative opportunity should be seized upon. Just make sure the signs have a union bug or are flagged as “labor donated.”
2. Despite GM’s record profits that year, it’s no surprise that under disgraced Gary Jones’ presidency we struck for 40 days and won very little. Even with our sacrifice our contract remained largely the same. When a union loses its moral backbone, financial corruption and sell-out contracts are soon to follow. Integrity as a union leader can only come from a direct connection with workers. Hear strikers’ concerns and share in their struggles. A real movement is built from the ground up with the workers as the foundation. Lead from the picket line!
3. Medicare for All means more security and freedom to strike. Employer-based healthcare is a way for the owning class to maintain control. This was shown clearly by GM’s first big move during the strike, to cancel our insurance. Letting the 1% control our health care restricts our ability to exercise our freedom as workers to withdraw our labor. It puts us at their mercy by ensuring that any illness means potential bankruptcy. What a fantastic tool to keep people in line! The cost of private insurance is in a never-ending, for-profit, upward spiral, leaving less money available for wages and other benefits. Medicare for All would not only give us more freedom and flexibility to strike as workers, but security during periods of unemployment and more leverage at the bargaining table.
4. Everyone under the same roof should be under the same master agreement. Or at the very least, contracts of different bargaining units should expire at the same time. Don’t forget when the union directed GM workers to cross Aramark workers’ picket line in 2019. Nothing is worse for morale at the beginning of a strike. This is shameful and should never be allowed to happen again. Fortunately, some progress is being made on this front, as honoring picket lines, a UAWD resolution, passed at the 2023 bargaining convention.
5. International solidarity is paramount. Our power is in our numbers. The more fractured we are as a class the weaker we are. We cannot effectively fight international corporations by thinking nationalistically. Our demands are muted if the companies can just shift production overseas. We can stop building trucks in the U.S., but if they just start building more in Canada and Mexico, how impactful will our actions be? The companies are globally coordinated. Workers need to be too. Let’s work with our autoworker brothers and sisters in Canada, Mexico and Brazil and win a better contract for all!
6. Community resources to help with bills, food etc. are invaluable. Every local should have a reliable list of community resources such as food banks, churches and other unions willing to help.
7. Take advantage of kitchens and refrigeration at your locals. We were inundated by food donations that could not possibly be consumed in a timely manner on the picket line. There should be an alert system set up for folks to pick up and drop off food donations to each local’s fridge, thus helping striking workers stretch their budget even more.
8. Change the narrative. Emphasize that strikes are about broad issues like economic justice and equality, not just personal gain for strikers. We need to come together with workers from all sectors to form unions. This will help build community support, credibility and grow our solidarity.
9. The time off a strike affords creates a special opportunity to organize across locals and regions. Class consciousness is heightened and can be built upon. Travel to other locals if you can. Walk their picket lines and build solidarity. Educate one another. Get to know folks from other unions that show up in support. We’re all in this class struggle together!
10. Talk to your fellow workers and learn what their needs are on the ground. Is there a weak point where a picket line needs reinforcement? Is there a specific time that’s more helpful than others to show up? What kind of food donations are most needed? Nonperishables are likely the best choice. If it’s cold and rainy, are burn barrels and firewood in short supply? Are there folks with young families that need diapers and formula? These are just some of many questions to consider. The important thing is to be in communication with the rank and file on the ground and to see what their actual physical needs are.
Detroit DSA’s Labor Working Group meets biweekly on Tuesdays.
The Detroit Socialist is produced and run by members of Detroit DSA’s Newspaper Collective. Interested in becoming a member of Detroit DSA? Go to metrodetroitdsa.com/join to become a member. Send a copy of the dues receipt to: membership@metrodetroitdsa.com in order to get plugged in to our activities!
