- Tensions are rising and recriminations erupt between Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers as the union threatens to expand strikes at U.S. factories.
- Frustration remains over key economic demands and what some see as the union’s lack of urgency to reach a deal, according to people familiar with the discussions.
- According to sources, GM and Stellantis are increasingly frustrated by Fain’s lack of involvement and alleged delays in receiving counterproposals from the union.
Striking members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) demonstrate in front of GM’s Willow Run Distribution Center in Bellville, Wayne County, Michigan, USA on September 26, 2023.
Evelyn Hockstein | Portal
DETROIT – Tensions are rising and accusations are rife between Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers as the union threatens to expand strikes at U.S. plants, a sign of two weeks of work stoppages and the dwindling likelihood of an imminent breakthrough.
The UAW is expected to announce additional strike targets at 10 a.m. ET on Friday unless significant progress is made in negotiations with General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis over contracts for about 146,000 auto workers. UAW President Shawn Fain will then host a Facebook Live event to update members on the talks and identify additional attack sites, a source familiar with the talks said.
Ahead, frustrations remain over key economic demands and what some see as the union’s lack of urgency for a deal, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential.
In particular, GM and Stellantis have become increasingly frustrated with Fain’s lack of involvement and alleged delays in receiving counterproposals from the union, sources said.
The union has set a new Friday deadline before holding high-level meetings between Fain and the companies, people said, raising questions about the union’s determination to reach an agreement and end the strikes. Until Wednesday’s announcement, the UAW had not submitted any counterproposals to the automakers’ offers made about a week earlier, the people said.
The union’s first high-level “main table” discussions with Fain and the two automakers came only after that announcement on Wednesday, at a late afternoon meeting the same day with GM, without CEO Mary Barra, and a midday meeting Thursday with Stellantis , the sources said.
The union confirmed Thursday afternoon that it had made a counteroffer to Stellantis during the meeting, giving the company less than 24 hours to respond before the new deadline.
The lack of urgency is increasingly frustrating company negotiators, many of whom are more accustomed to negotiating around the clock to get a deal done as quickly as possible, the sources said. Such conversations have been rare because Fain tries to negotiate with all three companies at the same time, they said.
Fain has always stated that the union is available to negotiate 24 hours a day. But automakers have questioned his availability and the union’s tactics generally, particularly in light of leaked private messages in which UAW communications director Jonah Furman described the companies as having been “wounded for months.” “
A UAW spokesman declined to comment on the strategy, including saying the union would wait a week for a response and would give Stellantis less than 24 hours to respond.
Concerns about the pace of talks follow similar claims from Fain and the union. Before launching strikes on September 15, Fain heavily criticized automakers for not making counteroffers to the union’s proposals, which were first presented to the companies in early August.
All three automakers say they have made substantial offers to the union. The deals on the table include hourly wage increases of about 20%, bonuses worth thousands of dollars and improvements to already extensive employee benefits packages. For its part, Ford has offered to reinstate previous cost-of-living adjustments to offset inflation.
But the UAW has demanded more, including 40 percent wage increases, an end to the “tier” system in which new hires work up to full pay for several years, a 32-hour work week and benefits such as additional time off and insurance for electric vehicles .
About 18,300 workers, or about 12.5% of UAW members covered by the Detroit automaker contracts, are currently on strike.
In recent days, union members on the picket lines have reported confrontations, intimidation with firearms, hit-and-runs and vandalism of vehicles and company property.
Five people suffered minor injuries when they were struck by a vehicle that drove through UAW picket lines while leaving a GM parts plant in Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday. The vehicle was driven by a third-party contractor who worked for GM at the facility.
UAW members and workers at the Mopar Parts Center Line, a Stellantis parts distribution center in Center Line, Michigan, demonstrate in front of the facility after walking off work at noon on September 22, 2023.
Matthew Hatcher | AFP | Getty Images
GM issued a statement saying three contractors, including the driver, had been barred from its property. She urged her other contractors and employees to follow established safety procedures when crossing a UAW picket line.
Separately, Stellantis released a statement Thursday accusing the UAW of misrepresenting other incidents that, contrary to Fain’s statements, did not involve replacement workers or so-called “scabbreakers.”
“Since the UAW expanded its strike to include our parts distribution centers last Friday, we have seen an escalation in dangerous and even violent behavior from UAW pickets at several of these facilities, including slashing truck tires, jumping on vehicles and being chased of people’s homes” and hurling racist insults at dedicated Stellantis employees who are merely crossing picket lines to do their jobs,” the statement said.
The company said it has not hired outside employees to replace striking UAW members: “Only current employees protecting our business and third parties conducting pickups and deliveries as usual are entering our facilities.”
The company called on Fain and other UAW leaders to help ensure the safety of all Stellantis employees, including those on the picket line.