Will Belvidere UAW vote to authorize a Stellantis strike?
BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — Cautious optimism rang through the air at United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 1268 on Thursday as union members cast their vote on whether to authorize a strike against automaker Stellantis.
Frederick Sheffield worked at the Belvidere Assembly Plant for thirty years, following in his family's footsteps.
"I was born on Chrysler health care. And, you know, I'm going out with a pension. So, I mean, I've depended on this company all my life," Sheffield said. "My grandmother was one of the first women hired in the plant back in 1966. And then my dad was hired in 1967. Got... three generations here."
Thursday, Sheffield voted to authorize a strike after Stellantis announced a delay in reopening the plant, citing changing market conditions.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has been under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union after a dismal financial performance this year, caught off guard by too many high-priced vehicles on dealer lots.
The company said that Tavares will step down in early 2026.
The Belvidere plant opened as a Chrysler factory in 1965, manufacturing the Plymouth Fury. When it was idled in 2023, it was making the Jeep Cherokee.
In October 2023, Stellantis agreed to build a $3.2 billion battery plant in Belvidere and invest $1.5 billion to retool the Belvidere Assembly Plant for an all-new mid-sized truck.
Sheffield is retiring at the end of the month, and said his vote was the last time he would be able make his voice heard.
"We still have a lot of workers that they don't have their time in that, you know, they didn't have the same opportunity I have. And they're still depending on this plant. So, you know, they need all of the support and help they can get," he said.
Stellantis filed a lawsuit against the UAW in October, claiming the strike vote would violate a contract agreed upon by the union and the automaker last year.
Local 1268 President Matt Frantzen said mismanagement is to blame.
"It starts here in Belvidere, and it's really time to time to stop it. I mean, if we don't stop it here, we don't stop it with the (Dodge) Durango leaving [the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit]," he said. "They're just going to keep rolling through and impacting all the U.S. investment. I think the vote passes. I think it starts here so we can let the rest of the corporation, the rest of the membership know that we're way even deeper involved in our own future."
Jeffrey Szabo, who worked at the Belvidere Assembly Plant since 2012, said, "All we can do now is this fight for what we think is right and also believe that the company will do the right thing."
Frantzen said the UAW is still confident Stellantis will uphold their end of the contract and reopen the plant.
