Workers at Webasto Detroit vote to join UAW after years of controversy
Employees of the company that supplies hard tops for Ford Broncos and roof parts for other Detroit Three vehicles will join the UAW.
On March 31, the union confirmed that workers at Webasto Detroit in Plymouth Township voted 276 to 133 in favor of forming a union in a National Labor Relations Board election. UAW spokeswoman Carli Stevenson said there are 475 workers in this area.
The UAW said in a statement that before the election, the workforce at Webasto Detroit had been trying to organize for two and a half years amid allegations of nepotism, management bullying, overwork and scheduling problems.
Webasto’s headquarters in Plymouth County. Webasto Roof Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Webasto Group, produces hard tops for the Ford Bronco.
“I’m proud to welcome Webasto Detroit workers to the UAW family. These workers fought for years to build their union and faced another tough challenge from the boss in this election. But they believed in each other and never gave up,” UAW Region 1A Director Mark DePaoli said in a statement.
Stevenson said a formal start of bargaining has not been set, but workers are eager to begin negotiations. Webasto workers should first elect their own bargaining committee and put together bargaining demands for negotiations, he told the Detroit Free Press. After this process is completed, a negotiation date will be determined with the company. Then, when an interim agreement is reached in the future, members will vote on it.
“Webasto Detroit workers have gained a collective voice at work and will now go to work to earn the fair wages, vacations and safer working conditions they deserve,” DePaoli said in the statement.
Mark DePaoli, UAW Region 1A director.
In a statement sent by Webasto spokeswoman Debra Ortisi, the company confirmed that employees at the Webasto Detroit plant voted to be represented by the UAW.
“Webasto supports this decision and our employees’ right to choose representation. We will work closely with the UAW on next steps,” the statement said. The statement was included. “We thank everyone involved. We are committed to cultivating a positive, supportive workplace. We value the Webasto Detroit team, appreciate their contributions, and will support our employees throughout this transition.”
Webasto’s history in metro Detroit
The plant is a subsidiary of the German Webasto Group. Supplier of Ford Mustang and Bronco, Chevrolet Corvette and Jeep. Webasto specializes primarily in vehicle headliner technologies, including sunroofs, removable hardtops and heating systems, and works with each of the Detroit Three. website.
Webasto announced that 218 people will be laid off in 2024 at its New Hudson facility and its “Detroit plant” in Plymouth Township.
In January 2025, Webasto announced that it would close a factory in Rochester Hills, resulting in the loss of 244 jobs. Ortisi said at the time that an analysis of the company’s Americas network showed it did not make economic sense to continue operating the 1974 facility. The company had said workers in Rochester Hills would apply for positions at other Webasto plants where open positions are available.
In July 2025, Detroit Free Press reported Webasto laid off 134 employees at its New Hudson plant in Lyon Township. Ortisi said these layoffs are the result of the company’s plan to consolidate Webasto production at the Webasto Detroit plant at the New Hudson facility.
Webasto in 2021 Problems with the then-new Ford Bronco’s removable hardtops And we are having difficulty meeting the demand.
The company has come to the fore in the past when workers tried to unionize. Jennifer Abruzzo, general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. He even met with Webasto workers at UAW Local 174 in Livonia in 2024 to explain their rights.
In an election marked by union-busting accusations against the company, workers “Detroit plant” ultimately rejects effort to join UAW In September 2024. Successful union campaign at a different Webasto factory in Plymouth Township In 2023.
When the Detroit plant’s union effort failed in 2024, the company said in a statement that “the majority of our colleagues have decided that they prefer to continue communicating with us and resolving issues directly as they have in the past and without the intervention of third parties.”
Victory is part of a growing movement
The UAW said the victory at Webasto Detroit was part of a growing movement among auto supply workers seeking to join the union.
“Workers in the supply chain are a vital part of the auto industry, but they are paid far less than their counterparts in assembly plants,” the UAW said in a media release. “They often face hazardous working conditions, including exposure to hazardous chemicals without proper precautions.”
Webasto Detroit workers join nearly 200 of their colleagues at Webasto Pilot Road, also in Plymouth Township, who unionized with the UAW in 2023 and ratified their first contract in 2024.
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Jamie L. LaReau is senior auto writer for USA TODAY Co., covering Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jlareauan. To register on our site automobile newsletter. Subscribe.
This article was first published in the Detroit Free Press: Webasto Detroit workers vote to unionize with UAW
