Worker delegates at the meeting described harrowing conditions at their workplaces, recounted the deadly and ongoing impact of COVID-19, denounced the indifference and complicity of the pro-corporate UAW bureaucracy, and spoke passionately in support of the construction of a worldwide movement of the working class.
The move to keep wage increases below inflation is part of a broader ruling class strategy, both in the US and internationally, as the bourgeoisie seeks to offload the costs of the economic crisis and war onto workers.
We made the decision to found the Caterpillar Workers Rank-and-File Committee earlier this year because we understood, based on the UAW bureaucracy’s previous record of sellouts and betrayals, that it would not fight for us, and that any real struggle for workers’ rights and interests would have to be organized from below.
While many workers have responded angrily, both management and the UAW expressed their satisfaction following the announcement of their deal’s ratification.