Saving the planet is Lion Electric's mission. Saving jobs, workers' dignity is just as important.
A Lion Electric school bus is seen on display in Austin, Texas, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. Last year, Lion Electric opened a 900,000- square-foot manufacturing facility in Channahon, near Joliet. It is the largest all-electric U.S. plant dedicated to medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle production.
Eric Gay/AP
I am proud of the work my colleagues and I do at Lion Electric, a company at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution. We build zero-emission buses and trucks, helping change the world’s transportation landscape. Every day at our Channahon facility, we help create a cleaner future.
But there’s a dark side to this bright future. While Lion Electric is busy promoting itself as a leader in the EV industry, it’s failing to address the genuine issues its workers face. We and our other Lion Electric colleagues are joining the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) to bring justice to the job.
We’re not asking for handouts. We’re asking for respect, dignity and the opportunity to contribute to a clean energy future.
Respect and dignity don’t include laying off approximately 120 workers across the corporation while handing out 30% bonuses to its executives. The IAM continues to gather information on this layoff announcement and will vigorously defend Lion Electric workers who were laid off.
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Many of us are here at Lion Electric because we believe in the mission — a chance to be part of something bigger than ourselves. But that belief can only sustain us for so long. We are united in our struggle to make ends meet. Wages are insufficient, and our health insurance is a significant financial burden. This is a reality that echoes across the EV industry.
Working at Lion Electric shouldn’t be a choice between putting food on the table and affording healthcare. A union contract would allow us to bargain collectively for a living wage and benefits that reflect our value. It’s about financial security for our families and the ability to plan for the future.
A union would also be a powerful tool to improve working conditions at Lion Electric. Broken promises and inadequate training are all too common inside the plant. We deserve to feel safe and secure on the job and have the training to perform our tasks effectively.
Let’s build the future together based on fairness and shared success. That’s the future Lion Electric workers deserve, and it’s the future this industry needs.
Albert Smith, Lion Electric assembler
Our daily (Tom) Brady
While reading Rick Morrissey's column about Tom Brady's indefatigable pursuit of more fame and stardom, contrary to his apparent "retirement," I was reminded of the figure of speech synecdoche, the part that represents the whole.
Like the synecdoches "wheels" for automobiles and "boots" for soldiers, "Give us this day our daily bread" has been supplanted by "our daily Brady." Only Rick Morrissey, one of America's best sports writers, is the true synecdoche for insightful and entertaining communication.
Roderick Bergin, Winnetka
Transforming CTA requires more than a change in leadership
Bad leadership can rot an organization from top to bottom. Replacing the leadership of the CTA with dynamic, experienced transportation experts would be a big step but does nothing to address the biggest challenge the CTA faces: the agency need more revenue, a lack of which can also rot an organization from the bottom.
The CTA has to evaluate embracing a zone based fare system like many world class cities already use. The next generation of CTA leaders must have a solid foundation to build on and increasing revenue has to be part of that discussion.
Luke Nelis, Logan Square