Current:Home > reviewsRekubit Exchange:UAW chief says offers from Detroit companies are inadequate, says union is ready to go on strike -GrowthInsight
Rekubit Exchange:UAW chief says offers from Detroit companies are inadequate, says union is ready to go on strike
Charles H. Sloan View
Date:2025-04-09 23:52:43
DETROIT (AP) — With just over 24 hours left before a strike deadline,Rekubit Exchange United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain says offers from the companies aren’t enough and the union is getting ready to strike.
In an online address to members Wednesday, Fain said General Motors, Ford and Stellantis have raised their initial wage offers, but have rejected some of the union’s other demands.
“We do not yet have offers on the table that reflect the sacrifices and contributions our members have made to these companies,” he said. “To win we’re likely going to have to take action. We are preparing to strike these companies in a way they’ve never seen before.”
The union is threatening to strike after contracts with companies that haven’t reached an agreement by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. It would be the first time in the union’s 80-plus-year history that it struck all three companies at the same time.
Talks continued Wednesday with the companies, but it appeared that both sides are still far apart.
Automakers contend that they need to make huge investments to develop and build electric vehicles, while still building and engineering internal combustion vehicles. They say an expensive labor agreement could saddle them with costs, forcing them to raise prices higher than non-union foreign competitors.
Fain said the final decision on which plants to strike won’t be made until Thursday night and will be announced at 10 p.m.
He said the targeted strikes will keep the companies guessing. “We will not strike all of our facilities at once” on Thursday, he said.
Initially they’ll strike at a limited number of plants, but that will grow if there’s no movement in contract talks. It’s still possible that all 146,000 UAW members could walk out, he said. The goal is to reach a fair agreement, he said, “but if the companies continue to bargain in bad faith or continue to stall or continue to give us insulting offers, then our strike is going to continue to grow,” Fain said.
The union will not extend contracts, so those who stay at work will do so with an expired agreement. Fain said he understands sentiment behind an all-out strike, which is still possible. But he said the targeted-strike strategy is more flexible and effective.
If there’s no deal by the end of Thursday, union officials will not bargain on Friday and instead will join workers on picket lines.
The UAW started out demanding 40% raises over the life of a four-year contract, or 46% when compounded annually. Initial offers from the companies fell far short of those figures. The UAW later lowered its demand to around 36%. In addition to general wage increases, the union is seeking restoration of cost-of-living pay raises, an end to varying tiers of wages for factory jobs, a 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay, the restoration of traditional defined-benefit pensions for new hires who now receive only 401(k)-style retirement plans, pension increases for retirees and other items.
On Wednesday, Fain said the companies upped their wage offers, but he still called them inadequate. Ford offered 20% over 4 ½ years, while GM was at 18% for four years and Stellantis was at 17.5%. The raises barely make up for what he described as minimal raises of the past.
All three companies’ offers on cost-of-living adjustments were deficient, he said, providing little or no protection against inflation, or annual lump sums that may workers won’t get.
The companies rejected pay raises for retirees who haven’t receive one in over a decade, Fain said, and they’re seeking concessions in annual profit-sharing checks, which often are more than $10,000.
____
Koenig reported from Dallas.
veryGood! (34232)
Related
- Golf's No. 1 Nelly Korda looking to regain her form – and her spot on the Olympic podium
- Police sweep onto UCLA campus, remove pro-Palestinian encampment: Live updates
- Florida in 50 Years: Study Says Land Conservation Can Buffer Destructive Force of Climate Change
- Consumer groups push Congress to uphold automatic refunds for airline passengers
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Abortion is still consuming US politics and courts 2 years after a Supreme Court draft was leaked
- Ex-Nickelodeon producer Schneider sues ‘Quiet on Set’ makers for defamation, sex abuse implications
- Pro-Palestinian protests reach some high schools amid widespread college demonstrations
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Dan Schneider sues 'Quiet on Set' producers for defamation, calls docuseries 'a hit job'
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Medicaid expansion discussions could fall apart in Republican-led Mississippi
- Time's money, but how much? Here's what Americans think an hour of their time is worth
- Man says his emotional support alligator, known for its big social media audience, has gone missing
- US Open player compensation rises to a record $65 million, with singles champs getting $3.6 million
- Jury at Abu Ghraib civil trial might not be able to reach verdict: judge says
- Füllkrug fires Dortmund to 1-0 win over Mbappé's PSG in Champions League semifinal first leg
- DEI destroyer? Trump vows to crush 'anti-white' racism if he wins 2024 election
Recommendation
Connie Chiume, South African 'Black Panther' actress, dies at 72
Bee specialist who saved Diamondbacks game getting a trading card; team makes ticket offer
AI use by businesses is small but growing rapidly, led by IT sector and firms in Colorado and DC
President Joe Biden calls Japan and India ‘xenophobic’ nations that do not welcome immigrants
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
Lightning coach Jon Cooper apologizes for 'skirts' comment after loss to Panthers
A new Statehouse and related projects will cost about $400 million
United Methodists overwhelmingly vote to repeal longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy