Young Democrats of Will County Stand in Solidarity with the IAM Local 701 Workers

Naperville, Ill. - The following is a statement from Young Democrats of Will County President Tyler Giacalone on the IAM Local 701's strike:

"We, at the Young Democrats of Will County, stand in solidarity with the IAM Mechanics' Union Local 70 and support their fight for fair working terms and conditions. Especially with the threat of COVID-19, we believe that the problems and issues that the Union has voiced must not only be fully acknowledged, but also solved, in order to reach a mutual beneficial end goal for both dealerships and Union members. HB 3940 is a recently signed bill that ensures that manufacturers must fairly pay both dealerships and technicians for warranty work, benefiting both parties of the agreement that the Union has been fighting for. As a result of the New Car Dealer Committee of Chicago’s refusal to collaborate on a fair contract that will adhere to this bill, a majority of Union members have voted to initiate a strike.

YDWC stands in complete support of the work that the IAM Mechanics’ Union Local 70 has been doing and understands the importance behind the strike that its members have begun. The New Car Dealer Committee of Chicago (NCDC) has been looking to reduce weekly salaries of journeymen, is unwilling to pay health insurance rates that are paid by all other employers in the industry, and insists on using language that undermines the bargaining process and allows them to cherry-pick provisions in other agreements. These are only a few of the many issues that have obstructed the Union’s goal of establishing fair working terms and conditions. We thank the Union members for their efforts and persistence in this fight and will continue to support their strike during its entire duration. If you’d like to view the full press release, the link is here: https://mech701.org/."

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