The workers for the company that supplies the hard top roofs for Ford Broncos and roof parts for other Detroit Three vehicles will be joining the UAW.
On March 31, the union confirmed that workers at Webasto Detroit in Plymouth Township voted 276 to 133 in a National Labor Relations Board election in favor of forming a union. UAW spokeswoman Carli Stevenson said there are 475 workers at that location.
Prior to the election, the workforce at Webasto Detroit had been trying to organize for two and a half years over allegations of favoritism, management bullying, overwork and scheduling issues, the UAW said in a statement.
The Webasto headquarters in Plymouth Township. Webasto Roof Systems Inc., a subsidiary of the Webasto Group, builds hard tops for the Ford Bronco.
“I am proud to welcome Webasto Detroit workers to the UAW family. These workers fought for years to form their union and faced another tough fight from the boss in this election. But they believed in one another and never gave up,” said UAW Region 1A Director Mark DePaoli in a statement.
Stevenson said a formal bargaining kickoff had not been set, but the workers are eager to begin negotiations. First, Webasto workers will need to elect their bargaining committee and assemble their bargaining demands for negotiations, she told the Detroit Free Press. After completing that process, a bargaining date with the company will be set. Then, when a tentative agreement is reached in the future, the members will vote on it.
DePaoli said in his statement, “Webasto Detroit workers have won a collective voice on the job, and now they’ll begin working to win the fair pay, time off, and safer working conditions they deserve.”
Mark DePaoli, UAW Region 1A director.
In a statement sent by Webasto spokeswoman Debra Ortisi, the company confirmed its employees at the Webasto Detroit plant voted to be represented by the UAW.
“Webasto supports this decision, and our employees’ right to choose representation. We will work closely with the UAW on next steps,” the statement read. “We thank everyone who participated in the process. We remain committed to fostering a positive, supportive workplace. We value the Webasto Detroit team, appreciate their contributions, and will support our employees throughout this transition.”
Webasto’s history in metro Detroit
The facility is a subsidiary of Germany’s Webasto Group, which is a supplier for the Ford Mustang and Bronco, Chevrolet Corvette and Jeep. Webasto primarily specializes in car roofing technologies, including sunroofs, removable hard tops and heating systems and works with each of the Detroit Three, according to its website.
In 2024, Webasto announced 218 layoffs at its New Hudson facility and “Detroit plant” located in Plymouth Township.
In January 2025, Webasto announced it was closing a plant in Rochester Hills, leading to the loss of 244 jobs. Ortisi said at the time that an analysis of the company’s Americas region network showed it doesn’t make economic sense to keep operating the plant, which dated to 1974. The company said those workers at Rochester Hills would apply for positions at other Webasto plants where openings existed.
In July 2025, the Detroit Free Press reported that Webasto laid off off 134 employees at its New Hudson plant in Lyon Township. Those layoffs were the result of the company’s plan to consolidate Webasto production from its New Hudson plant into the Webasto Detroit plant, Ortisi said at the time.
In 2021, Webasto had issues with removable hardtops for the then-new Ford Bronco and struggling to keep up with demand.
The company also had been in the news as workers attempted to unionize in the past. Jennifer Abruzzo, the general counsel for the National Labor Relations Board, even met with Webasto workers at UAW Local 174 in Livonia in 2024 to explain their rights.
In an election marked by accusations against the company of union busting, workers at the “Detroit plant” ultimately voted down an effort to join the UAW in September 2024. That had followed a successful union drive at a different Webasto plant in Plymouth Township in 2023.
In 2024, when the Detroit plant’s union drive failed, the company said in a statement that “a majority of our colleagues decided that they prefer to continue to communicate openly and solve problems with us directly as in the past and without third-party intervention.”
The victory is part of a growing movement
The victory at Webasto Detroit is part of a growing movement of auto supply workers wanting to join the union, the UAW said.
“Workers in the supply chain are a vital part of the auto industry but are paid well below their counterparts at assembly plants,” the UAW stated in a media release. “They often face dangerous working conditions, including exposure to hazardous chemicals without proper precautions.”
Webasto Detroit workers join about 200 of their counterparts at Webasto Pilot Road, also located in Plymouth Township, who unionized with the UAW in 2023, and ratified their first contract in 2024.
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Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer for USA TODAY Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Webasto Detroit workers vote to unionize with UAW
