(Valaurian Waller for The Washington Post)
More than 12,000 workers are on strike at three major automakers in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri.
September 15, 2023 at 7:11 pm EDT
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UAW-Ford workers say they are striking because they are not making enough money to support their families or their future.
“We have our limits, too,” said Kevin Ewald, a Ford employee who has worked at the company for nearly three decades. He wants his new colleagues to be paid more for “backbreaking” work.
UAW workers began striking shortly after midnight Friday morning after failing to reach an agreement with the big three autoworkers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
See where UAW workers are striking
The union called for a 36 percent wage increase for workers over four years, saying wages had not kept pace with inflation. Full-time employees earn about $18 to $32 an hour, while the CEOs of the big three companies earned a total of more than $20 million each The union used these figures to justify its demands for higher wages for employees last year. The UAW is also calling for an end to the tiered employment system, which means new workers receive lower wages and benefits. The companies responded that they are offering larger wage increases than they have had in years, but cannot meet all of the union’s demands and remain viable.
The auto industry has been a mainstay for Detroit and surrounding areas for decades, and many striking workers come from families in which several members worked in the auto industry. Several workers have worked for automakers most of their careers and have a deep appreciation for cars – they all remember the time they owned their first car.
On Friday we asked these workers why they were on strike. Here’s what some of them said:
Romulus, Michigan | Assembly line worker
- Time at Ford: 3.5 years
- Pay: $24/hr
- First car: Mercury Cougar
Robbins, who has a 3-year-old son, said she thought she might be fired rather than take part in a historic strike. “I’m just trying to provide for my family,” she said. “I thought the only story I had made was that I made ventilators during the pandemic [at Ford].”
She wants this job to help her build her future. Robbins said she had to take part-time jobs to make ends meet. Before Covid, I was close to getting my hands on a ranger,” she said. “But we work at Ford and can’t even afford to drive the cars we make.”
Ypsilanti, Michigan | Ford driver
- Time at Ford: 28 years
- Salary: $32/hr
- First car: Ford Gran Torino
Ewald said he is striking for the new generation of autoworkers who have to deal with the tiered wage system.
“People are being hired now for $16.70 an hour and that’s bone breaking that we’re doing and that’s not right,” he said. “It’s not really about me.”
After 28 years with the company, he feels well positioned for the future. But he worries about his newer colleagues.
“[Ford CEO] Jim Farley came out the other day and said there are limits and I hope he realizes it goes both ways,” he said. “We also have our limits.”
Jackson, Mich. | Member of the Ford production team
UAW employee Lee Maybanks demonstrated in front of an automobile factory in Detroit on September 15th. (Video: Rich Matthews/TWP)
- Years at Ford: 1 year and 9 months
- Salary: $19.10/hr
- First car: Oldsmobile 98
Dearborn, MI | Ford assembly line workers
- Time at Ford: 1 month
- Salary: $16.67/hr
- First car: Ford Taurus
Jomaa said she has a part-time job as a beautician but worries about her colleagues who have no other jobs to support their families. She works at Ford from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then goes to her other job from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m
“It’s a lot, but Ford doesn’t help me. I get paid $16 an hour. “It’s nothing special when you have children,” she said.
Westland, Michigan | Ford repairman
- Time at Ford: 29 years
- Salary: $32/hr
- First car: Ford Escort
Williams comes from a family of autoworkers – both his mother and father were retired from Chrysler. However, he believes that wages have not been enough to keep up with inflation.
“We don’t make enough money,” he said. “People should be able to buy their own home, but at the moment that’s not possible.”
He also wants to make sure the company takes care of retirees. “Without them we wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Detroit | Ford assembly line workers
- Time at Ford: 4 months
- Salary: $16.67/hr
- First car: Chevy Cruze
Thompson hopes the strike doesn’t drag on, but She passionately fights for cost of living increases as bill payments and food costs rise.
“I barely make enough to get by,” she said. “I’m mostly worried about pay. I’m just here for the money.”
Livonia, MI | Ford bodywork and stamping work
- Time at Ford: 49.5 years
- Salary: $32.56/hr (started at $4.35 in 1974)
- First car: 1969 Pontiac LeMans
Kanowski has worked for Ford for much of his life – he started with the company in 1974 when he was just 18 years old.
He said he wasn’t sure whether he and his colleagues would be fired. But he believes newer colleagues deserve the same opportunities he had.
“When I started in the 70s, after 90 days I got the same as the old man. Now it takes people four to six years to achieve the same,” he said. “That’s not fair.”
He said the workers had to do something Concessions in 2007 and 2008 when automakers were doing poorly during the Great Recession, but now that they’re profitable, “they never gave any of it back to us.”
Redford, MI | Secret Ford inspector
UAW employee Shaniell Davis demonstrated in front of an automobile factory in Detroit on September 15th. (Video: Rich Matthews/The Washington Post)
- Time at Ford: 12 years
- Salary: $32 per hour
- First car: GM Saturn
Edited by Karly Domb Sadof, Haley Hamblin and John Farrell.
United Auto Workers Strike
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