U.S. autoworkers warn that a dispute between their union and Stellantis over delays in reopening a shuttered factory in Belvidere, Illinois, is much bigger than that one plant. Many fear that if the automaker breaks its commitment to restart the factory, it won’t keep other promises made in the new United Auto Workers contract signed last fall. They worry, in particular, that the automakers could move production to factories in lower-cost Mexico. The UAW has threatened to strike over the issue as early as October. Stellantis says it still intends to reopen Belvidere and also build a battery plant there but needs the delay because of unfavorable market conditions.
