Comment on this storyComment
The president of the United Auto Workers on Sunday rejected a public offer from Jeep parent company Stellantis to raise wages by 21 percent over four years, spurring a historic, coordinated strike against the country’s three largest automakers third day.
Stellantis, which is based in the Netherlands and was formed in 2021 through a merger of Fiat Chrysler and France’s Peugeot, said on Saturday it had offered the union an “extremely competitive” wage increase of 21 percent. The union said it had “fairly productive” discussions with Ford on Saturday and also plans to meet with GM. Both companies have offered a 20 percent salary increase over four years.
But on Sunday morning, UAW President Shawn Fain said that Stellantis’ 21 percent offer and other conditions presented by the automakers were not enough and that the strike would continue.
“This is definitely a no-go,” Fain said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We demanded a salary increase of 40 percent. And the reason we asked for a 40 percent pay increase is because in the last four years alone, CEO pay has increased 40 percent.”
About 12,700 UAW members, or 8 percent of the union’s auto workers, went on strike Friday, demanding wage increases and better equal treatment and benefits for contract workers, whose wages have lagged behind those of full-time employees for years. It is the first time the UAW has struck against all three of America’s largest automakers at the same time.
Why UAW workers say they’re on strike
The strike comes at a time when unemployment in the United States is at historic lows, but the fallout from the pandemic and higher inflation have heightened workers’ fears. Companies have continued to make profits and increase executive pay, and auto workers are among resurgent union activity in the United States as workers ranging from nurses to Hollywood screenwriters and actors seek better wages and job security.
Although the UAW strike only affects a handful of plants, Fain said the union is prepared to “do whatever we need to do” and expand the work stoppages. “If we don’t get better deals and address members’ needs, we’re going to intensify this,” Fain said.