01:31 PM EDT, 08/21/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Stellantis ( STLA ) union workers plans to hold a rally Thursday in Belvidere, Illinois, against the company's decision to delay the reopening of Belvidere assembly plant, the union said in a blogpost Wednesday.

"They say they want to 'delay' reopening Belvidere Assembly but they really want to kick the can past our contract expiration so they can suddenly cite 'market conditions' again and never open this plant, never repair the damage they've done to thousands of autoworkers and their families," United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said in a statement.

The protest was authorized after union workers filed grievances with the company for allegedly failing to honor its investment commitments and the union contract from 2023.

The company previously told MT Newswires that it "strongly objects" to the union's accusations. "The UAW agreed to language that expressly allows the company to modify product investments and employment levels," the company told MT Newswires in an emailed response Tuesday.

The union had previously said its contract with Stellantis ( STLA ) provided the option to strike over product and investment commitments, and it may authorize a strike once the issue had been taken through the grievance procedure.

Stellantis ( STLA ) did not immediately respond to MT Newswires on the latest development.

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