Following the United Auto Workers union’s victory against the Big Three, Toyota has given raises to its factory workers even though they are not unionized, Axios reports. In a statement, Chris Reynolds, executive vice president of corporate resources for Toyota Motor North America, told the publication, “We value our employees and their contributions, and we show it by offering robust compensation packages that we continually review to ensure that we remain competitive within the automotive industry.”
Toyota didn’t confirm how big the raises were, but according to Labor Notes, a pro-worker publication, production workers received a $2.94 raise, while skilled trades workers got an extra $3.70. That would bring the maximum pay to $34.80 and $43.20 respectively. Still, Toyota is going to have to continue to give workers raises if it’s going to match the agreement the UAW worked out with the Big Three that will see production workers earning more than $40 an hour by 2028.
Clearly, the successful strike has other automakers worried. UAW President Shawn Fain wasn’t shy about his goal of unionizing even more factories once the strike was over, and honestly, the companies that depend on non-unionized labor should be pretty worried. Their employees have now seen how a strong union protects workers and ensures they’re paid fairly, which is going to make unionizing an incredibly tempting option.
It’s always a good thing when companies give workers raises, but we can’t imagine that workers aren’t going to see that Toyota only did this because the UAW secured a victory following the strike. And if Toyota’s scared enough of the UAW that it’s voluntarily giving workers more money, just think how much more workers could get if they joined the UAW. What a wonderful way to end Striketober.