Just days after the UAW had their historic wins over the Big Three auto manufacturers, Toyota announces that they are going to give their workers substantial raises:
Toyota Motor (7203.T) said on Wednesday it is raising the wages of nonunion U.S. factory workers just days after the United Auto Workers union won major pay and benefit hikes from the Detroit Three automakers.
Hourly manufacturing workers at top pay will receive a wage hike of about 9% effective on Jan. 1, the company confirmed. Other nonunion logistics and service parts employees are getting wage hikes.
The largest Japanese automaker also said it is cutting the amount of time needed for U.S. production workers to reach top pay to four years from eight years and increasing paid time off.
Shawn Fain, the president of the UAW, made a short video for the Toyota workers to make sure they understood exactly why they got those raises:
Toyota isn't giving out raises out of the goodness of their heart. Toyota is the largest and most profitable auto company in the world. They could have just as easily raised wages a month ago or a year ago. They did it now because the company knows that we're coming for them. The company knows that Toyota workers are watching. And when the time comes, Toyota workers and all non-union workers are going to be ready to stand up.
Even though you are not yet members of our union, that pay raise that Toyota is giving you is the UAW bump. UAW. That stands for "You are welcome." You are welcome to join our stand up movement. If this is what Toyota gives you when the Big Three stand up and fight, imagine what you can accomplish if you join the UAW and stand up and fight for yourselves. Our union just showed the world what's possible when workers unite to fight for more.
He's not wrong, y'know.
We're seeing it time and time again this year. With big wins against UPS, Amazon, Starbucks and many more, there is definitely a shift in power coming. And the more the unions keep winning, the more who will follow.
Solidarity is a beautiful thing.
