Case New Holland (CNH) announced it would close its Burlington plant by mid-2026, with 200 workers laid off as a result. But the labor union wasn’t going to take that sitting down.
CNH blamed it on the agricultural industry downturn broadly affecting sales. (US Sen. Chuck Grassley said recently ag monopolies were a big reason for that).
But United Auto Workers (UAW), who’ve been in the middle of bargaining their latest contract with the company, said that was a load of hooey.
“CNH has made $6.6 billion in profits in the last three years alone and has spent over $3.1 billion of that on shareholder distributions and CEO pay,” the union said in a statement.
And they made that sentiment known at a “KEEP CASE OPEN: Rally to Protect Our Jobs, Our Town, Our Future” event last week protesting the decision.
“This is not a funeral. This is a fight!” said UAW Region 4 Director Brandon Campbell, to cheers, according to the Burlington Hawk Eye. “They’re trying to close this plant to pad their own damn pockets and to try to destroy the working-class people who would dare to simply command their fair share. They’re doing it because of corporate greed.”
UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson pointed out Burlington has given CNH more than $22 million in tax abatements since 1997, over $12 million since 2010, and $3.4 million in local tax increment finance funding in recent years.
“So where did that money go?” Dickerson asked. “We helped this company experience record profits. They have experienced $8.7 billion in profits and $7.6 billion in total revenue. Does that sound like a company that should be shutting the doors?”
The closure even brought out UAW President Shawn Fain to town, who had strong words for the company.
“I’d love to say it’s good to be here today, but the fact is I’m actually pissed off that I’m here today,” Fain said. “I’m sick and tired of seeing the same scenario play out in America over and over again because of corporate greed.
“This company told us just last week that they’re closing this plant because it’ll save them just under $17 million, with an ‘M,’ dollars a year … on an annual profit of over $2 billion dollars,” he added. “For less than one percentage point of their profits, they want to dump an economic bomb on the Burlington community.”
The Hawk Eye printed more colorful Shawn Fain remarks that you should definitely go read in full here. (A sample: “These bastards want it all! (Expletive) ’em!”)
There’s no closing date announced for the plant as of right now, UAW Local 807 President Nick Guernsey said, and thus workers will continue to bargain the contract through its renewal in April. But the impending closure, if it happens, will be “devastating,” he noted.
“I think you’ll hear a lot of people say, ‘Well, that [doesn’t] affect me very much.’ But it does affect you. It’s going to affect you,” Guernsey said. “Ask the people of Mount Pleasant [about when] they closed [the Motorola factory] and what Motorola’s [closure] did to Mount Pleasant. We’re facing the same thing here.”
Solidarity: Learn more and sign a petition supporting the workers here.
Are you a Burlington CNH worker? Email me.
