UAW votes to authorize a strike if no deal reached with Big 3 US automakers

The union representing roughly 150,000 employees on the Big Three U.S. automakers — General Motors, Ford and Stellantis — has voted to authorize a strike if no deal is reached amid ongoing contract negotiations.

Across the 3 corporations, United Auto Workers union contributors voted a mixed reasonable of 97% in want of a strike authorization, with votes nonetheless being tallied, the union stated Friday. The vote does no longer imply a strike will probably be referred to as, however that the union has the best to name one if they see have compatibility.

“Our union’s membership is clearly fed up with living paycheck-to-paycheck while the corporate elite and billionaire class continue to make out like bandits,” UAW President Shawn Fain stated in a remark. “The Big Three have been breaking the bank while we have been breaking our backs.”

The union’s calls for come with double-digit pay raises, getting rid of tiered wages and advantages, restoring cost-of-living allowances, the best to strike over plant closures, extra paid time without work and larger retiree advantages.

“Our members’ expectations are high because Big Three profits are so high,” Fain stated. “The Big Three made a combined $21 billion in profits in just the first six months of this year. That’s on top of the quarter-trillion dollars in North American profits they made over the last decade. While Big Three executives and shareholders got rich, UAW members got left behind.”

UAW represents 46,000 employees at GM, 57,000 employees at Ford and 44,000 employees at Stellantis, in accordance to the union. Its contract with the 3 automakers expires on Sept. 14.

In a remark previous this month, GM stated it is been “working hard with the UAW every day to ensure we get this agreement right for all our stakeholders. “

“We know that our U.S. economic impact supports more than six jobs for every job created by GM,” the remark stated. “We take that responsibility very seriously, and we continue to bargain in good faith each day to support our team members, our customers, the community and the business.”

Stellantis stated discussions with the union’s bargaining workforce “continue to be constructive and collaborative with a focus on reaching a new agreement that balances the concerns of our 43,000 employees with our vision for the future — one that better positions the business to meet the challenges of the U.S. marketplace and secures the future for all of our employees, their families and our company.”

Ford stated it seems “forward to working with the UAW on creative solutions during this time when our dramatically changing industry needs a skilled and competitive workforce more than ever.”

In 2019, just about 50,000 UAW employees walked off their jobs in a national strike at GM that lasted over a month ahead of the union voted to ratify a new contract that during section established bonuses for staff.