GM Workers on Strike
GM workers have begun their third week in their nation-wide strike against General Motors with the goal of raising wages, securing better health coverage and negotiating better contracts for part-time workers. While GM has recently seen record-level profits, workers argue these moneys have not been used in an equitable way.
Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for GM Workers on Strike
Links
“GM Strike, Now in Its Third Week, Wears on Both Sides”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/gm-strike-now-in-its-third-week-wears-on-both-sides-11569882201
“Howes: Detroit past and future battle in UAW-GM strike”
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/columnists/daniel-howes/2019/10/01/detroit-past-future-battle-uaw-gm-strike/3822847002/
“‘Strike pay’ kicks in at $250 a week for GM union members as work stoppage hits home”
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/30/strike-pay-kicks-in-at-250-a-week-for-gm-union-members-as-work-stoppage-hits-home.html
“UAW and GM negotiators seek deal as strike starts third week”
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/business/uaw-gm-strike-2-weeks/index.html
“The hottest stop on the presidential campaign trail is the GM picket line”
https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/9/23/20879787/gm-workers-strike-warren-biden-candidates-picket-line
“Auto industry workers lose $266M in pay as GM strike drags on”
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/workers-lose-266m-in-uaw-strike-at-gm
“Who’s losing the most from UAW strike at GM? So far, workers have lost $266M”
https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/john-gallagher/2019/09/30/general-motors-uaw-strike-costs/3786688002/
Assessment
- Writing: Describe the history of labor unions in the United States. Why has there been a decline in union membership as a percentage of the U.S. workforce?
- Debate: GM is wise to withhold better benefits and higher wages for its workers in order to ensure that GM remains competitive with foreign manufacturers.
- Poll: Which party is more likely to back down first? GM executives or GM workers?
- Short Answer: Is collective bargaining, in the form of union organizing, better for the American economy? For American workers?
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