On September 26, 2023, members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) picket team went on strike outside the General Motors Willow Run Distribution Center in Belleville, Wayne County, Michigan, USA.
Evelyn Hochstein | Reuters
DETROIT — Tensions are rising between Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers, with recriminations swirling and the union threatening to expand a U.S. factory strike — marking a two-week shutdown and the growing possibility of an imminent breakthrough. The smaller.
The UAW is expected to announce additional strike targets at 10 a.m. ET on Friday unless negotiations with all parties make substantial progress General Motors, Ford and star The contract covers approximately 146,000 autoworkers. A source familiar with the negotiations said UAW President Shawn Fain will host a Facebook Live event to update members on the status of negotiations and identify additional strike locations.
Some believe the union lacks the urgency to reach a deal when it comes to key economic demands, but frustration remains in the build-up to the deal, people familiar with the matter said. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations are private.
Specifically, sources said GM and Stellantis were growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of Fain’s involvement and what they said were delays in receiving counterproposals from the union.
The union set a new Friday deadline before any high-level meetings between Fein and the company, raising questions about the union’s commitment to reaching a deal and ending the strike, people familiar with the matter said. As of Wednesday’s announcement, the UAW had not filed a counterproposal to the automaker’s offer made about a week ago, people familiar with the matter said.
The announcement comes just after the union’s first high-level “head table” talks with Fain and the two automakers on Wednesday, following a meeting with General Motors later that afternoon without CEO Mary Barra. (Mary Barra) and held a meeting with GM at noon Thursday. Strantis, sources said.
On Thursday afternoon, the union confirmed it had submitted a counteroffer to Stellantis during the meeting, giving the company less than 24 hours to respond before a new deadline.
The lack of urgency is increasingly frustrating company negotiators, many of whom are more accustomed to haggling around the clock to reach a deal as quickly as possible, sources said. Such talks were few and far between as Fein tried to negotiate with all three companies simultaneously, they said.
Fain has consistently said the union is available to negotiate 24/7, but automakers have raised widespread questions about his availability and the union’s tactics, especially in light of leaked private information in which UAW communications director Jonah Fain Jonah Furman described the companies as being “hurt for months.” “
A UAW spokesman declined to comment on the strategy, which included the union waiting a week to fight back and giving Stellantis less than 24 hours to respond.
Fein and the union have made similar claims, raising concerns about the progress of negotiations. Before launching a strike on September 15, Fein harshly criticized the automakers for failing to present a counteroffer to the union’s proposal, which was first submitted to the companies in early August.
All three major automakers said they have made substantial offers to the union. The deal on the table includes a roughly 20% increase in hourly wages, thousands of dollars in bonuses and an increase in already generous benefits for workers. Ford has proposed reinstating previous cost-of-living adjustments to offset inflation.
But the UAW is demanding more, including a 40% pay increase, an end to the “grade” system (it takes several years for new hires to get full pay), a 32-hour work week, extra time off and power insurance. benefits. car.
About 18,300 workers, or about 12.5 percent of UAW members under contract with the Detroit automaker, are currently on strike.
on the picket line
In recent days, union members on the picket line have reported confrontations, gun threats, hit-and-run vehicle accidents and damage to vehicles and company property.
Five people were slightly injured Wednesday when they were struck by a vehicle that drove through a UAW picket line as they left a General Motors parts plant in Flint, Michigan. The vehicle was driven by a third-party contractor working for GM at the plant.
At noon on September 22, 2023, UAW members and workers at Mopar Parts Center Line, a Stellantis parts distribution center in Center Line, Michigan, picketed outside the facility after get off work.
Matthew Hatcher | AFP | Getty Images
GM issued a statement saying that three contractors, including the driver, have been banned from its property. The company urges other contractors and salaried employees to follow established safety procedures when crossing UAW picket lines.
Separately, Stellantis issued a statement Thursday accusing the UAW of mischaracterizing other incidents that, contrary to Fain’s statement, did not involve replacement workers or so-called “scabs.”
“Since the UAW expanded its strike to include our parts distribution centers last Friday, we have witnessed an escalation of dangerous and even violent behavior by UAW pickets at several of these facilities, including slashing truck tires, jumping on vehicles, and following people back home. and hurled racial slurs at dedicated Stellantis employees who simply crossed the picket line to do their job,” the statement said.
The company said it has not hired any outside workers to replace striking UAW members: “Only existing employees protecting our operations and third parties conducting pickups and deliveries as usual will have access to 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.
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