LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The United Auto Workers (UAW) Union has authorized a vote for next week that will decide whether workers could go on strike as contracts are set to expire in September.
Negotiations between the UAW and the nation’s largest car companies have slowed, according to union president Shawn Fain, as workers look to win higher wages and better benefits.
Specifically, the union is asking automakers for more than a 40% increase in pay over the next four years, cost of living increases, pensions for new hires, an end to the current wage tier system, and more.
On the other hand, automakers say they are facing a once-in-a-generation shift, as cars switch over to electric vehicles, and the cost associated with building these new factories means they are not able to offer concessions to Union workers.
Stellantis, in particular, has been cited by union members as one of the companies looking for a lighter contract, but the company chief operating officer, Mark Stewart, said that “theatrics and personal insults” will not lead to a deal, and they will only listen to a proposed agreement that follows “economic realism”.
However, the union wants to see its role expand even further and has asked for guarantees that 10 new battery plants will be represented by the union when they get operational. Most of these are joint ventures with Korean companies and are not under any current obligation to work with union members.
In the past, when strikes have been used as leverage in contract negotiations, they are almost always approved by a wide margin. Fain is expected to hold a Facebook live meeting with workers later today and has not named a company in particular that could be the target of the strike, and a company spokesperson told reporters at the Associated Press that “It could be all three.”
During a Facebook Live stream Tuesday night, Fain encouraged chapter members to start voting as soon as possible.
“This isn’t just a strike vote. It’s a demonstration of our strength and its a statement on our resolve. If we want to show progress at the bargaining table, we need to show the companies it’s not just talk”, said Fain.
