NRDC Stands with Striking Autoworkers

For the first time ever, the United Auto Workers (UAW) are striking at all three major U.S. automakers. This is a pivotal moment that can set the automotive industry on a path toward ensuring that workers are fairly compensated while simultaneously producing the clean cars we need to effectively address climate change. If the environmental movement expects a full transition to electric vehicles, the workers building those cars can’t be expected to earn less than their colleagues building gasoline-powered vehicles. NRDC stands in solidarity with these workers and is ready to work alongside our labor partners to ensure good jobs and safe working conditions are a part of the clean car economy.

Ahead of the strike, NRDC issued a statement in support of the workers on our social media channels (Facebook; Twitter). But this isn’t all we are doing. My NRDC colleagues have rallied with and marched alongside UAW members in Michigan and joined UAW members in coauthoring opinion pieces in local newspapers in Illinois about the importance of transitioning to the clean car economy without leaving existing workers behind. We’ve also joined letters with our partners, and launched paid digital ads in support of reopening plants, such as the Stellantis plant in Belvidere, Illinois. NRDC’s support comes from its highest levels, as shown by President Manish Bapna’s tweet on the morning of September 15.

NRDC is committed to doing all that we can to support our partners in the UAW, and we pledge to work alongside the union to ensure no worker is left behind in the transition to the clean car economy. Together, we can: 

• Incentivize repurposing existing facilities to build and supply clean cars, especially those in the industrial Midwest, where auto manufacturing is part of the fabric of so many communities. 
• Focus federal and state funding and incentives for building clean cars on companies that provide jobs to existing unionized autoworkers. 
• Provide pathways to unionization for nonunion workers already in the industry, and disincentivize domestic offshoring. 
• Advocate for state and federal funding to train workers in emerging clean industries, especially in auto manufacturing and battery supply chains, and develop federal automotive worker safety and labor standards. 
• Implement strong, enforceable federal workplace protections from extreme heat and other hazards that are increasingly putting workers in harm’s way. 
• Keep corporations accountable by tying incentives and funding to high safety and labor standards; we should not incentivize bad actors or union busting. 

We strongly support our striking partners in the UAW. They’re putting their jobs on the line for a better future for workers in the automotive industry. We’re doing our part to fight alongside them for the health and safety of people and our planet by advocating for a swift, worker-friendly transition to the clean car economy. In addition to supporting workers in the automotive industry, we also need strong investments in public transit, charging infrastructure, and policies to make electric vehicles more affordable. We can do all of this without leaving any workers behind while simultaneously creating millions of good, family-sustaining jobs. 

The auto industry should listen to these workers: Pay them what they deserve, and ensure safety and training are improved throughout the supply chain. 

One thing you can do right now is to go “All In” with the UAW. Sign up to receive updates and send a letter to the Big Three’s CEOs saying that you support the autoworkers on strike.