UAW Local 31 Union starts food pantry ahead of possible strike

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - Local workers are waiting for the word to strike! The clock is ticking for the UAW and the nation’s biggest carmakers to get a deal done.

GM’s Fairfax plant in KCK sits quiet and empty after the company laid off all 2,000 workers.

As of right now, GM says it doesn’t plan to pay the workers it laid off until the strike ends.

The local union has been getting in ready position for a strike and that includes preparing a food pantry, making sure families of these workers still have dinner on the table.

“We decided to get out in front of that and start another food pantry. We’re kind of still storing and organizing right now but should this layoff become lengthy or god forbid we go into a strike mode that’s something that will be very very useful for our members,” says Dontay Wilson, UAW Local 31 President.

The local 31 union also did this back in 2019 when their Fairfax workers were on strike for 6 weeks.

They say there was a huge outpouring of donations, even coming in from places like Iowa and Nebraska.

Right now they are taking donations. They’re collecting non-perishable goods - anything from dried beans to canned goods, rice, cereal, household items such as sunscreen, bug spray, diapers and water.

If you would like to donate to their food pantry, you can do so by dropping your items off at the union hall in the Fairfax district.

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