UAW reaches tentative agreements with Big Three automakers

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Missouri Correspondent

In a whirlwind of a week, the UAW has reached tentative agreements with Ford, Stellantis and GM, essentially pausing its UAW Stand Up Strike – the first strike ever to target all Big Three U.S. automakers.

The UAW announced the tentative agreement with Ford on Oct 25. It provides a 25 percent wage increase over a four-and-a-half year contract and other benefit improvements. Three days later, the union reached a tentative similar deal with Stellantis. Ford workers are back to work, and Stellantis workers are in the process of going back.

On Monday morning, Oct. 30 – two days after expanding its strike against GM – the UAW reached a tentative deal with GM, according to a source familiar with negotiations.

As of Labor Tribune press time, no details on the GM agreement had been released. UAW members at all three automakers will still need to ratify the agreements.

‘INFLECTION POINT FOR OUR UNION, OUR MOVEMENT’
“The Stand Up Strike will go down in history as an inflection point for our union, and for our movement,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a video to members on Monday. “This contract is about more than just economic gains for autoworkers. It’s a turning point in the class war that has been raging in this country for the past 40 years. For too long it’s been one-sided and working-class people have been losing.”

Although the UAW has tentative agreements with all three automakers, the agreements still must be approved by regional UAW officials and then voted on by rank-and-file union members. If members don’t approve of the agreements, they could head back to the strike line.

NO DIRECTION YET
Former Local 2250 President Glenn Kage, who currently serves as chairman of the Local 2250 Community Action Program, said his union had not received any direction from the UAW.

“Most everyone on the strike line is happy,” Kage said. “But we haven’t heard any details and have not been called back to work.”

FORD TENTATIVE AGREEMENT
The 25 percent wage increase at Ford represents the total percentage of wage increases at Ford between 2001 and 2022. Workers also will get cost of living raises that will put the pay increase at over 30 percent, according to the union.

Prior to the Oct. 25 Ford/UAW announcement, Ford, Stellantis and General Motors were all offering 23 percent pay increases. When talks started, the automakers were offering just nine percent.

President Joe Biden, who visited the UAW picket line near Detroit early in the strike, praised the Ford and Stellantis settlements.

‘HISTORIC AGREEMENT’
“I applaud the UAW and Stellantis for coming together after hard fought, good faith negotiations to reach a historic agreement that will guarantee workers the pay, benefits, dignity and respect they deserve,” Biden said in a statement. “This groundbreaking contract rewards the autoworkers who sacrificed so much to revive our auto industry with record raises, more paid leave, greater retirement security and more rights and respect at work.”

The tentative contract, he said, “is a testament to the power of unions and collective bargaining to build strong middle-class jobs while helping our most iconic American companies thrive.”