General Motors is being sued by the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union for allegedly using temporary employees at a plant in Indiana in an attempt to avoid having to hire laid-off workers with seniority.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court Wednesday, comes just weeks after GM announced it would be shuttering four plants in the U.S., resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs.
The lawsuit alleges that GM is “circumventing” its agreement with UAW by employing temporary workers instead of transferring laid-off workers with seniority to operating plants.
{mosads}“UAW members negotiated a binding agreement and we expect General Motors to follow the contract they agreed to and GM members ratified,” UAW Vice President Terry Dittes said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press.
General Motors did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit from The Hill.
The union said there are approximately 1,000 employees with contractual seniority rights who have been laid off nationwide, including 690 seniority employees that were laid off at the Lordstown Ohio Assembly Plant, many of whom have applied for a transfer to Fort Wayne Assembly Plant in Indiana.
The lawsuit is asking that a judge order GM to transfer senior union members to the Fort Wayne plant, which currently makes the company’s Silverado and Sierra trucks.
The eight-page complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of the Eastern Ohio Division.
UAW is the largest union representing workers in the auto industry, and it vowed to push back against GM’s decision to close domestic plants.
GM’s decision drew widespread backlash from members of Congress and President Trump, who said the company is “is not going to be treated well” after announcing the layoffs.
Lydia Wheeler contributed to this article.