Rank-and-file workers at Ford Chicago Assembly Plant (Ford CAP) recently formed the Chicago Ford Rank-and-File Election Committee to support the campaign of Will Lehman, socialist candidate for United Autoworkers president. Will Lehman is campaigning for a program to abolish the corrupt union bureaucracy and place the power of the union back into the hands of the rank and file. His campaign calls for restoration of cost-of-living adjustments, a 50 percent pay increase for all autoworkers, immediate transition of temporary workers to full time, an end to the tier system, and more.
The committee at Ford in Chicago is part of a growing wave globally and among autoworkers in the US. This includes autoworkers in Louisville, Kentucky and Detroit and Flint in Michigan, who are forming rank-and-file committees to begin organizing an independent fightback against the corporations and return power to rank-and-file workers. Members of the committee are working to raise awareness about Will’s campaign among workers in the plant.
A member of the Chicago Ford committee spoke to the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter about conditions in the plant that led him and other workers to support Will’s campaign.
The worker’s name, department and shift are withheld to prevent retaliation from both management and UAW functionaries. If you work at Ford Chicago Assembly or Stamping and you are interested in learning…
