By Bryan G Pfeifer
Members of the United Autoworkers’ Locals 180 and 807 are sponsoring a labor and community Solidarity Day in Racine December 17.
About 1,100 workers at CNHi in Racine, Wisconsin and Burlington, Iowa have been on strike since May 2, 2022. The strike is a part of the nationwide surge in worker’s direct action at places such as Starbucks and Amazon, healthcare and higher education sectors and the railroads.
The response for the workers on strike and the Solidarity Day is strong and members appreciate the ongoing labor and community support said UAW 180 President Yasin Mahdi on a November episode of the labor podcast We Rise Fighting!
President Mahdi reports that CNHi (Case Holland) is presently refusing to bargain and wants to increase healthcare costs (wage cuts) among other concessions the workers refuse to accept as the international CNHi is a very profitable corporation.
Workers at CNHi produce agricultural and construction equipment including tractor loader backhoes, bulldozers and corn and auger heads. CNHi is one of the world’s largest agricultural and construction equipment makers. UAW 180 – a founding CIO local – has been organized at Case Holland since 1936 and similar to other UAW Locals in Wisconsin, has played an instrumental role in building the state’s and the national labor movement.
Momentum is growing for the Solidarity Day in Racine. Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine tweeted out the December 17 flyer to his almost 1 million followers and the Wisconsin AFL-CIO sent out a statewide email and is sharing the information on its social media. Labor federations in Milwaukee and unions from Oshkosh and in many other cities or regions in Wisconsin are sharing the information and a variety of community and faith-based organizations are also helping to organize. Vehicle caravans are being organized from Madison, Janesville, Manitowoc, Burlington and elsewhere and will include delegations from the Railroad Workers United, Building Unity, Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement, Family Farm Defenders and Voces de la Frontera.
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For Solidarity Day, a rally will take place at 2 P.M. at the UAW 180 hall, 3323 Kearney Avenue in Racine. Speakers from a diverse array of labor and community organizations will speak and then a vehicle caravan to the picket lines will take place.
In addition to Solidarity Day, a Strike Solidarity School is scheduled for December 14-17. This school will include a movie night, Art Builds, music, presentations on corporate research, meals and more. The school is sponsored by UAW 180, We Rise Fighting! and Building Unity. (Facebook Event and Flier here: https://www.facebook.com/buildingunitywi.)
For more information on this strike and how to support: https://www.facebook.com/uawlocal180
If the union or individual wants to make a monetary donation to UAW 180, they can write out a check, money order or cashier’s check to “UAW Local 180” and send to:
UAW Local 180
ATTN: President Yasin Mahdi
3323 Kearney Avenue
Racine, WI 53403
Supporters can also just drop off the needed supplies at the union hall and/or mail them. Supplies needed include gift cards, winter gear, gift cards, socks, non-perishable food items and children’s gifts for the holidays.
Bryan G Pfeifer is a member of the National Writers Union-UAW (nwu.org) and a Co-Host of We Rise Fighting! Labor Podcast (facebook.com/werisefightinglaborpodcast).
Workers at Starbucks in San Antonio, TX hold up a UAW 180 and 807 Solidarity Sign November 17, 2022. The workers at Starbucks were holding one-day strike action that day at various Starbucks stores. / Photo: Bryan G Pfeifer
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 