UAW members to strike Mack Trucks after voting down tentative deal

DETROIT — About 3,900 members of the United Auto Workers union at Mack Trucks will go on strike Monday after most members rejected a tentative agreement reached between the union and the company last week.

The UAW said late Sunday that the tentative agreement was voted down by 73% of UAW members. Workers at UAW plants in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida will go on strike starting at 7 a.m. Monday Publish online.

Mack Trucking workers will join tens of thousands of other striking UAW members, most notably more than 25,000 employees General Motors, Ford and star. Beginning on September 15, the union launched a targeted strike against the Detroit automaker at selected plants. The union has since expanded strikes against every automaker.

The Mack Trucking deal is seen as a potential test of workers’ willingness to approve a deal that falls short of higher expectations for record hourly wages raised by UAW President Shawn Fain Salary increases, equal pay, inflation protection and shorter contracts. Work Week.

Tentative processing Volvo GroupMack Trucks has fallen significantly short of union demands in current negotiations with the Detroit automaker, leading some workers to tell CNBC last week that they would vote against the deal.

A Mack Trucks employee called the deal “a disgrace” compared to their expectations and what UAW international leaders are currently negotiating with the Detroit automakers, also known as the Big Three. and “insult.”

“We are the lower man on the totem pole and we have no international support,” a materials technician with more than 10 years of experience said on Friday. “They are just pushing for this (tentative agreement) to be passed so that They wouldn’t have to deal with us in the Big Three negotiations.”

While Mack Trucks is a separate company and part of a union separate from the one that covers members of Detroit Automaker, some workers expect they will receive similar raises and benefits as their union brethren at Detroit Automaker.

Mack Trucking’s tentative agreement varies by location and job, but for many workers it includes a salary increase of about 19 percent over the five-year deal, including a 10 percent post-ratification bonus; a $3,500 ratification bonus; Increased 401(k) company payments; and other benefits. It does not include scrapping pay grades (it only reduces one year, extending the step to five years); restoring traditional pensions; adjusting the cost of living to account for inflation; or a shorter working week.

UAW negotiators’ demands from the Detroit automakers include a 40 percent wage increase, inflation protection in the form of a living allowance (COLA), work/life balance and other bonuses and benefits.

Fein, who has publicly laid out his demands for Detroit autoworkers, said Coke, job security, wage advancement and many other topics were prominent issues in negotiations with Mack Trucks.

“Members have spoken and, as our union’s highest authority, they have the final say,” Fein said in a union release on Sunday. He said the union “remains committed to exploring all options for reaching an agreement, but Clearly we’re not there yet.”

Mack Trucks President Stephen Roy said the company was “surprised and disappointed that the UAW chose to strike, which we believe is unnecessary.”

“We are committed to the collective bargaining process and confident we can reach an agreement that provides competitive wages and benefits for our employees and their families, while safeguarding our future as a competitive company and a stable, long-term employer. We We look forward to resuming negotiations as soon as possible,” he said in a press release on Sunday evening.