the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 23, 2023
After eight months on strike, workers at CNH Industrial voted to accept contract offer from the company after a recent vote to continue their strike. These CNH workers, represented by the UAW, work at two plants in Iowa and Wisconsin, building backhoes, tractors, and other agricultural equipment.
The 1,100 CNH workers began their strike in May because the company offer was not enough to keep up with inflation and rising health care costs. They have continued the strike while the company gets out only a limited amount of production using “scab” workers.
Workers from CNH were delegates at the UAW Convention in July, and they proposed changes to the UAW Constitution to increase strike pay from $400 a week to $500 a week and to start strike pay on Day One. The majority of delegates approved both resolutions overwhelmingly, although the UAW top leadership was later able to get the $500 rolled back to $400. But the CNH workers kept up their fight. The fact that the majority of them voted to continue their strike after eight months shows their determination.
The details of the agreement are not clear as of this writing. But it is difficult for one group of workers to go up against the bosses by themselves, especially for eight months. Many other workers today have the same problem as the CNH workers—wages that don’t keep up with inflation. Other workers have the same reason to fight, and a reason to make that fight together, in larger numbers. The larger the numbers, the more power workers use, the faster will the bosses see the light.