Jamie Butters, managing editor of Automotive News, discusses the expansion of the UAW strikes and its impact on car buyers.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said in his weekly address Friday that the union’s strike against Detroit’s Big Three automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, would continue, but did not announce new strike targets.
“We looked at the companies’ proposals,” Fain said during his Facebook Live address. “…And in my opinion and in the opinion of the vice presidents and in the opinion of your national negotiators, there is still more to gain.”
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain speaks to the crowd during a rally in Detroit on September 15, 2023. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The UAW has demanded “record contracts for record profits” from automakers, and Fain acknowledged that all three companies had offered the union record contracts, but said there was more money on the table.
FORD MOTOR CO., STELLANTIS lays off workers, saying layoffs are “direct result” of UAW strikes
The union is demanding a 40% increase over the life of the four-year contracts, and Fain said the Big Three have now increased their wage increase proposals to 23%. He also pointed to a number of areas where the union believes every automaker needs to offer more.
Workers demonstrate outside the Ford assembly plant in Chicago as the UAW’s strike against the three major U.S. automakers continues, October 10, 2023. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“One thing we kept hearing from these companies is how they offered us record deals,” Fain said. “By the way, they stole that line from us, and you know what, we agree.”
THE AUTO WORKERS UNION PRESIDENT WHO WEARS THE “EAT THE RICH” SHIRT IS IN THE TOP 5% OF EARNERS
“These are already record contracts, but they come at the end of decades of record decline,” said the union chairman. “So it’s not enough to be the best ever when auto workers have regressed over the last two decades. That’s a very low bar.”
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | FORD MOTOR CO. | 11.63 | +0.11 | +0.95% |
| GM | GENERAL MOTORS CO. | 29.66 | +0.33 | +1.11% |
| STLA | STELLANTIS NV | 18.87 | -0.07 | -0.40% |
The UAW began its simultaneous but limited strike against the Big Three more than a month ago.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO by CLICKING HERE
About 34,000 of the automakers’ 150,000 members are currently on strike, and the union has threatened to expand the strike nationwide if the companies fail to make sufficient progress in negotiations.