UAW-Stellantis dispute escalates as union files unfair labor complaint

The dispute between the United Auto Workers and Stellantis widened Monday as the union filed federal complaints over the Illinois plant’s commitments and alleged the company plans to move some SUV production out of the country.

The union said it filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the company of illegally withholding information about its plans to reopen a vehicle assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, and build a parts distribution center and an electric vehicle battery plant there. The UAW has threatened to strike.

Several UAW locals have also filed grievances alleging the company wants to move production of the Dodge Durango full-size SUV from the Detroit plant where it is made to a plant outside the United States.

The company committed to adding units at Belvidere as well as production in Durango in the union’s new contract, reached last fall after a six-week strike, the UAW said.

In a statement, union President Shawn Fain said the contract gives the UAW the right to strike over contractual commitments to build vehicles in the United States. “Stellantis now wants to renege on the agreement,” he said. “We intend to enforce our contract and make Stellantis keep its promise.”

Stellantis has denied breaching the contract and said that, like all automakers, it manages how and when it brings new vehicles to market in order to be competitive.

“We will communicate our plans to the UAW at the appropriate time,” the company said in a statement.

Many union members fear that if the automaker breaks its commitment to restart the Belvidere plant, it will fail to keep other promises made in the new United Auto Workers contract, which runs through April 2028.

In particular, they fear that the car manufacturer could relocate its production to factories in Mexico, where costs are lower.

Stellantis said it still intended to reopen Belvidere and build a battery plant and parts warehouse there, but had to postpone those plans because of unfavorable market conditions. It did not give dates for those changes. More than 2,700 jobs are at stake.

The company has agreed to reopen the Belvidere assembly plant in 2027, with plans to build up to 100,000 electric and gasoline-powered midsize pickups per year.

The company also agreed to open the parts center this year and the battery plant in 2028. In total, the company has pledged $18.9 billion in U.S. investments over the life of the contract, which runs through April 2028.

It also agreed to build gasoline and electric versions of the next-generation Durango at Detroit’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant starting in 2026.

The letter says Stellantis and the UAW agree that investment and jobs in North America depend on “factory performance, evolving market conditions and consumer demand continuing to generate sustainable and profitable (sales) volumes.”

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