UAW President Shawn Fain (center) marches with UAW members through downtown Detroit after a rally in support of United Auto Workers members as they strike the Big Three auto makers on September 15, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan.
Bill Pugliano | Getty Images
DETROIT – Major automakers are calling into question the United Auto Workers’ motives in launching targeted strikes in light of leaked messages by a union director calling to “keep them wounded for months.”
The private group messages on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, show UAW communications director Jonah Furman discussing the union’s public posturing of issues and targeted strikes as causing “recurring reputations damage and operational chaos” to the automakers.
The messages, which were viewed by CNBC and first reported Thursday by The Detroit News, don’t align with UAW President Shawn Fain’s public statements that the union has been negotiating in good faith and is available “24/7 to bargain a deal.”
“It’s now clear that the UAW leadership has always intended to cause months-long disruption, regardless of the harm it causes to its members and their communities,” General Motors said in an emailed statement. “The leaked information calls into question who is actually in charge of UAW strategy and shows a callous disregard for the seriousness of what is at stake.”
Executives with the automakers, including GM CEO Mary Barra and Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley, publicly voiced frustration with the union’s bargaining, or lack thereof, ahead of a union-imposed strike deadline at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14.
Ford communications chief Mark Truby said in a statement Friday the leaked messages are “disappointing, to say the least, given what is at stake for our employees, the companies and this region.”
Chrysler-parent Stellantis described the messages as “incredibly disturbing” and said they “strongly indicate that the UAW’s approach to these talks is not in the best interest of the workforce.”
“We are disappointed that it…
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