The United Auto Workers union said "strategic" tariffs on imported heavy trucks are helping with new hiring and expanding production at the Detroit Diesel manufacturing complex in Michigan.

In a Facebook post announcing the development, the UAW International Union said Detroit Diesel will add a third shift, recall laid-off workers, and hire more employees at its manufacturing center in the Detroit area.

"Strategic, targeted tariffs are an important tool in the toolbox to undo the damage of our free trade disaster and bring back good union jobs to the U.S.," UAW President Shawn Fain said.

"Companies like Detroit Diesel, and their parent company Daimler Truck North America, need to step up to reinvest in the workers who make the product and stop laying off American workers while making billions in profit," Fain said. "We applaud this first step in the right direction."

The union said the expansion follows months of lobbying that led to a federal decision in October to impose a 25% tariff on heavy truck imports.

The policy was intended to discourage offshoring and encourage manufacturers to invest in U.S. production.

Detroit Diesel manufactures diesel engines and axles at its plant that straddles Detroit and Redford Township, Michigan.

The plant employs about 3,000 workers and has long been a major component of Michigan's heavy truck manufacturing sector.

"Detroit Diesel UAW members build a high-quality product that makes this company billions, and it's only right that this company would invest right here in Michigan and recognize that success," said UAW Region 1A Director Mark DePaoli.

"We congratulate our members who are coming off of layoff and all those who will join our union with the creation of these new jobs."

Detroit Diesel was originally formed as a General Motors subsidiary in 1938 and is now owned by Daimler Truck North America.

The development follows recent labor activity at related plants in the region.

Workers in the Detroit Diesel Axle unit voted in 2025 to ratify a new contract that included profit-sharing and cost-of-living adjustments after authorizing a strike.

• Unemployment Claims Flat, Layoffs Decline 55%
• Microsoft Warns on AI-Boosted North Korea Employment Scam