The United Auto Workers (UAW) Union has released a damning new report arguing the U.S. Auto Industry could create tens of thousands of good-paying Union jobs by simply better utilizing existing plants instead of off-shoring production and funneling profits to Wall Street.

The report - Unlocking the Potential of U.S. Auto Manufacturing Capacity, exposes a glaring contradiction: While the giant Automotive Firms boast record earnings, they are deliberately underutilizing already-existing U.S. factories which are starving Working Class Communities of stable Union jobs.

“We don’t need to break ground on a single new plant to rapidly grow auto manufacturing capacity - it’s already right in front of us,” UAW President Shawn Fain said. “Instead of off-shoring jobs to low-wage, high-exploitation countries, Auto Companies must invest here at home.”

For instance, in 2024, the U.S. had the capacity to produce over 14.7 million vehicles - but built only 10.2 million, leaving 4.5 million units of unused capacity.

This gap, the UAW argues, is the direct result of Automakers prioritizing “high-exploitation race to the bottom practices” - shifting production to low-wage countries while slashing domestic jobs.

Big Capitalists do this to increase Worker exploitation dramatically in order to rake in enormous profits.

The report also highlights how The Big Three - General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) - have cut U.S. auto production by 1.8 million vehicles since 2015, even as they expanded production output in other countries.

Auto Plants like GM’s Lordstown in Ohio and Stellantis’s Belvidere in Illinois still sit shuttered or underused, while Wall Street exploits the gains through stock buybacks and special dividends.

“The Working Class built the Auto Industry and we’re ready to build its future,” Fain said. “Auto Companies should be using this moment to scale up and add good jobs by investing in Workers instead of Wall Street.”

To Continue Reading This Labor News Story, Go To: UAW report exposes auto industry—90,000 union jobs left on table – People's World

To Directly Access The UAW Report, Go To: 2025-UAW-extra-capacity-white-paper-A1FINAL-1.pdf