The Stellantis casting company in Indiana is now experiencing a strike by members of the United Auto Workers union.
At the Stellantis casting mill in Indiana, United Auto Workers union workers went on strike on Saturday over concerns about health and safety, particularly the company’s claimed failure to fix and replace the plant’s air conditioning and heating systems.
A protracted strike may have an impact on car assembly lines all over North America at the 35-acre Kokomo factory, which produces parts for the engines of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and RAM vehicles.
According to Stellantis, no production was planned for this weekend and the company aimed to pick up contract talks with the striking UAW Local 1166 as soon as feasible.
Stellantis made a commitment to “creating a safe and healthy work environment for all workers” in a statement. We are saddened by the UAW’s decision to leave the table after two days of good faith negotiations during which we made an offer that we thought adequately addressed the union’s concerns.
According to Stellantis, Kokomo Casting, with its 1,200 employees, is the largest die casting plant in the world. It produces aluminum components for items like engine blocks and gearboxes.
In a statement, the UAW local expressed dissatisfaction with Stellantis, saying that the company “says it has no money to satisfy its membership’s fundamental demands,” like supplying clean uniforms, while “earning record profits and spending billions in a new battery facility across the street.”
Stellantis and Samsung established a $2.5 billion joint venture in May with plans to construct a 1,400-person electric car battery facility in Kokomo.
David Willis, the local UAW president, did not pick up the phone when contacted for comment. At the union headquarters, the person who answered the phone stated he was getting ready for a restart of the discussions.
In order to create engine blocks for hybrid-electric vehicles, the casting factory will be retooled.
The company Stellantis, which was created by the merging of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot in France last year, had previously announced plans to construct two battery plants in North America. The second one will take place in Windsor, Ontario.
