DETROIT – The United Auto Workers union is expanding its strike to 38 parts and sales locations across 20 states. general motors and StellantisUAW President Sean Fein said Friday morning.
The union will not launch another strike the next day. ford motorThe company has proven it is “serious about reaching an agreement,” Fein said on Facebook Live.
“While there are still serious issues to resolve, we want to recognize that Ford has shown it is serious about reaching an agreement,” the outspoken union leader said. “GM and Stellantis are different stories.”
Fein said the union and Ford have made progress on issues including eliminating some pay tiers, reinstating cost-of-living adjustments and improving profit-sharing formulas.
He also said the union had won the right to strike over factory closures during the contract period and the right to immediate conversion of temporary or replacement workers with at least 90 days of employment upon ratification by the company. .
Ford said the company is “working diligently with the UAW to reach an agreement,” but “there are still significant gaps to fill on key economic issues.”
Supporter Ryan Sullivan (left) and members of the United Auto Workers union, Chris Sanders Stone, Casey Miner, and Kennedy R. picket outside the Jeep factory in Toledo, Ohio, on September 18, 2023. – Barbie Sr., Stephen Brown.
Sarah Rice | Getty Images
“Ultimately, the issues are interconnected and we need to work within an overall agreement that supports our mutual success,” Ford said in a statement Friday.
The GM and Stellantis parts supplier strike will add about 5,600 autoworkers to the UAW’s ongoing strike at the Detroit automaker, including about 3,500 GM employees.
About 12,700 UAW workers went on strike a week ago at GM’s medium-duty truck and full-size van plant in Wentzville, Missouri. Ford’s medium-sized pickup truck “Ranger” and SUV “Bronco” plant in Wayne, Michigan. Stellantis Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator factory in Toledo, Ohio.
Parts distribution centers are a major concern in these discussions, particularly at Stellantis. The automaker proposed consolidating its 10 Mopar parts and distribution centers across the country into a large Amazon-like distribution center.
Fein said GM has agreed to eliminate wage disparities at parts plants. He praised the Detroit automaker’s actions but criticized Ford for resisting further steps agreed to with unions.
Targeting parts and distribution centers is a unique strategy. It does not affect vehicle production or assembly, only the distribution of parts to dealers.
A prolonged outage in new work could cause significant disruption to dealers, which in turn could delay fixes for customers. Repair wait times are already an issue due to recent supply chain issues.
“This will impact the repair operations of these two companies,” Fein said. “Our message to consumers is simple: The solution to frustrating customer experiences is for companies to stop measuring prices. Invest these record profits in stable jobs, stable wages and benefits. please.”
Many, including Wall Street analysts, expected the union to extend closures to the Detroit automaker’s full-size truck plants, which are critical to the company’s profitability.
The affected GM facilities include 13 in Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nevada, California, Texas, West Virginia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Includes 18 factories in the state.
For Stellantis, the strike extension affects 20 facilities in 14 states: Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Illinois, California, Oregon, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Texas, New York, and Massachusetts.
“This expansion puts us in a national fight,” Fain said. “We will continue to act, organize and expand our stand-up strike as needed.”
The UAW launched a targeted strike after the teams failed to reach a tentative agreement by the expiration of their previous contract on September 14 at 11:59 p.m.
The additional factory strikes come despite record contract offers from automakers that include hourly wage increases of about 20%, thousands of dollars in bonuses, the retention of union platinum health insurance and other generous benefits. I was disappointed.
The union has called for a 40% increase in hourly wages, a shorter work week, a transition to a traditional pension, the elimination of compensation tiers and the reinstatement of cost-of-living adjustments, among other contract improvements.
Additional strikes will take place the next day detroit news On Thursday night, it was reported that messages involving UAW communications director Jonah Furman were leaked, raising questions about the union’s motives for the work stoppage.
In an undated private group message seen by CNBC, Furman described the UAW’s strategy and targeted attacks as causing “repeated reputational damage and operational disruption.”
Fuhrman did not respond to requests for comment, but said if the union can “keep these guys injured for months on end, I don’t know what they’re going to do.”
Fain did not address the message on Facebook Live other than to discuss the union’s strategy to “do things differently” to “get a record deal.”