The Vast Fortune of This Auto Boss Is More Than Enough to Make Your Blood Boil
As autoworkers are worked to the bone and face factory closures, dynastic billionaire and Stellantis chairman John Elkann is hanging out on his yacht and attending fancy art galas. No wonder the UAW is on strike.
Chairman of Stellantis John Elkann during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2023 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Qian Jun / MB Media / Getty Images)
For the first time ever, US autoworkers are striking against all three members of the “Big Three” auto corporations: General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler). Among other demands, they are fighting for the elimination of wage and benefit tiers, major wage increases, and the restoration of cost-of-living adjustments.
But they’re also fighting for something bigger. A day before the strike began, United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain told members that the strike would be about more than bread-and-butter issues. Autoworkers would be taking on the power of the billionaire class.
“I’m at peace with the decision to strike if we have to because I know that we are on the right side in this battle,” said Fain. “It’s the battle of the working class against the rich, the haves versus the have-nots, the billionaire class against everyone else.”
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