The UAW is planning to protest against Fiat Chrysler in front of Cobo Center in Detroit.
Members of the United Auto Workers from the Jeep Local, UAW Local 12, are planning a demonstration at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sunday.
The protest targets Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. for its plans to eliminate jobs at a transportation unit in the Jeep manufacturing complex where FCA is preparing to launch a new version of one of Jeep’s signature products — the new Wrangler.
“They never talked to us,” said Bruce Baumhower, president of UAW Local 12, which kicked off the campaign to halt the FCA’s plans to eliminate the jobs earlier this week with a demonstration at the Toledo complex.
The plans to eliminate the jobs of drivers at the Toledo Terminal were announced last fall, FCA spokeswoman Jodi Tinson.
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The union is protesting the loss of transport jobs at FCA in Toledo.
“FCA US confirms that it will wind down its FCA Transport operations at its Toledo terminal by the end of February 2018. The 88 hourly employees will have the option to retire, accept early retirement packages if offered or transfer to the Detroit Terminal.
“Those employees who do not accept one of those options will be placed in positions at the Toledo Assembly Complex, which is adding 700 new jobs to support production of the next generation Jeep Wrangler,” FCA said in a statement at the time.
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Tinson added FCA US has been in discussions with the UAW for over two years and will continue to work with the union to find placement opportunities for any impacted employees of FCAT.
The dispute with the UAW about jobs in Toledo comes at an awkward time for FCA, which is pressing ahead with plans to launch the new Jeep Wrangler for the Toledo Assembly plant where the workers are also represented by Local 12. In fact, many Local 12 members, who work in the assembly plant, are expected to participate in the demonstration outside the show.
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Sunday is the busiest day of the public portion of the show. Fiat Chrysler is in the midst of a substantive makeover of its product line-up, and part of that is determining what vehicles will be built where. The company has determined that it will build its sport-utilities, crossovers and trucks in the U.S. Its spent much of the last 18 months retooling plants to support their new products.