UNITE HERE LOCAL 74 members from the Irish Gypsy dropped off food to striking workers – all made possible by donations from other local unions, Local 74 and the Irish Gypsy. – UNITE HERE Local 74 photo
By SHERI GASSAWAY Missouri Correspondent
Wentzville, MO – Several members from various St. Louis area unions stepped up to help striking UAW Local 2250 members as they took part in the UAW Stand Up Strike – the first ever to target all three American automakers.
Local 2250 members who work at the GM Assembly plant in Wentzville were among the first in the series of targeted strikes against the Big Three automakers that resulted in tentative agreements with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. The latest, with GM, was announced Monday, Oct. 30.
The tentative agreement with GM, the largest U.S. car company by sales, requires approval by the union council that oversees negotiations with the company, and ratification by a majority of its 46,000 UAW workers, as do the tentative agreements with Ford and Stellantis.
Local unions and their members were key in supporting Local 2250 members during the strike. Here are a few samplings of those efforts.
MACHINISTS DISTRICT 9 donated supplies to Local 2250 and Machinists Automotive Lodge 777 President Scott Hargis (left) delivered the donations to Local 2250 President Katie Deatherage. – Machinists Dist. 9 photoSHEET METAL WORKERS LOCAL 36 brought its portable grill to the UAW Local 2250 picket line and served hot meals to striking workers. – Jake Hummel/Missouri AFL-CIO photoAFGE LOCAL 2192 members showed up Sept. 30 to walk with picket line with striking Local 2250 members. Local 2192’s Carole Conaway (left) and Erica Tolbert brought a sign supporting Local 2250 and its fight for economic justice. – AFGE Local 2192 photo
RETIRED STEELWORKERS from SOAR (Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees) visited the UAW Local 2250 picket line and SOAR’s Jeff Rains and Dennis Barker presented the union with a $250 check for its strike fund. – SOAR photoUAW LOCAL 249 members from Pleasant Valley, Mo., made the drive from the Kansas City Metro area to stand with their Local 2250 brothers and sisters on the picket line. – UAW Local 2250 photoLABORERS LOCALS 42 AND 110 each donated $2,000 to the UAW Local 2250 strike fund and members walked the picket line in solidarity with striking workers on Oct. 18. Additionally, Local 110 dropped off Gatorade, water, snacks and 300 hot dogs and buns and also bought pizza for the evening strike shift. – Laborers Local 42 photo
THE MISSOURI AFL-CIO and the St. Louis chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) visited with striking workers Sept. 28 and walked the picket line, and NCJW paid for all the food for the night shift and brought baked goods. – Jake Hummel/Missouri AFL-CIO photoTEAMSTERS JOINT COUNCIL 13 dropped of two truckloads of supplies for striking UAW Local 2250 members and walked the picket line. – Teamsters Joint Council 13 photo
