At Stellantis’ Sterling Heights plant in Michigan, around 6,000 workers represented by UAW Local 1700 will vote on May 7 and 8 on whether to authorize a possible strike. The dispute centers on the use of outside contractors for jobs that the union believes should go to skilled workers already employed at the plant.
Ram 1500 plant workers to vote on possible strike in Michigan
The facility ranks among Stellantis’ most strategic sites in the United States because it builds the Ram 1500, a model CEO Antonio Filosa has identified as one of the pillars of the group’s recovery plan for North America, especially in versions equipped with the Hemi V8 engine.
The vote represents a formal step and will not automatically trigger a strike. First, a majority of local workers must support the authorization, and then the national UAW must approve it. However, the underlying issue has been dragging on for some time.
According to Mike Spencer, president of the local union branch, Stellantis has assigned some jobs to outside companies even though the collective agreement requires the company to offer them first to in-house skilled trades workers. These include electricians, industrial mechanics, pipefitters, toolmakers and wastewater treatment workers. Spencer says he has raised the issue with the company for more than a year without receiving satisfactory answers. The union fears that if this outsourcing trend continues, it could gradually reduce job opportunities for qualified workers at the plant.
The labor tension comes at a particularly delicate moment for Stellantis’ American operations. In the first quarter of 2026, the group reported net income of $443 million, equal to about €377 million. Stellantis is working to strengthen its competitiveness in the United States after months of commercial and industrial difficulties, and any production disruption at Sterling Heights would hit one of the key points of its North American strategy. That risk comes just as Ram and Jeep are expected to drive the recovery in volumes and profitability across the continent. For now, Stellantis has not commented on the matter.
