The United Auto Workers union on Friday opted not to expand its strike against the Detroit Three automakers, citing progress at the bargaining table.
The UAW launched its limited strike on Sept. 15 and had expanded it in each of the past two weeks to add pressure to the talks. A total of 25,000 workers at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis facilities remain on strike.
General Motors has laid off 48 workers at its Lockport components plant, as the effects of the United Auto Workers strike against the Detroit Three automakers hit the Buffalo Niagara region for the first time.
The UAW represents about 3,000 workers at the GM plants in Lockport and the Town of Tonawanda, and Ford’s stamping plant in Hamburg. None of those workers are on strike, but GM has laid off 48 workers at its Lockport plant, citing a lack of work available for them caused by the strike’s disruptions elsewhere. GM refers to the workers as “idled” instead of laid off.
Otherwise, UAW members at the three area GM and Ford plants are collecting their regular paychecks while working under expired contracts.
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UAW President Shawn Fain said Friday the union was on the verge of directing members at GM’s SUV assembly plant in Arlington, Texas – which he called “GM’s largest moneymaker” – to join the strike.
But the union called off that plan after GM agreed in writing to place its electric battery manufacturing under the UAW’s national master agreement, Fain said.
Fain said GM’s move will change the future of the union and the auto industry.
“Today, under the threat of a major financial hit, they leapfrogged the pack in terms of a just transition” from combustion engines to electric vehicles, Fain said. “Our strike is working, but we’re not there yet.”
In addition to large general pay raises, cost of living pay, restoration of pensions for new hires and other items, the union wanted to represent 10 battery factories proposed by the companies.
The companies have said the plants, mostly joint ventures with South Korean battery makers, had to be bargained separately.
Friday’s change means the the four U.S. GM battery plants would now be covered under the union’s master agreement and GM would bargain with the union’ “which I think is a monumental development,” said Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University in Detroit.
He said the details of GM’s offer, made in writing, will have to be scrutinized.
During his planned “stand up” announcement on Facebook Live, Fain also said GM had agreed to 23% in wage hikes, more than Ford or Stellantis.
General Motors has laid off 48 workers at its Lockport components plant, as the effects of the United Auto Workers strike against the Detroit Three automakers hit the Buffalo Niagara region for the first time.
Talks with the automakers had been active earlier in the week, with GM and Ford confirming they have passed new offers to the union. Details on GM’s Thursday counter weren’t made available. It was a response to a comprehensive offer from the union on Monday, details of which also haven’t been shared.
Ford’s proposal on Tuesday entailed a “more than 20%” wage increase over a contract that would expire at the end of April 2028, a $21 per hour wage for temporary employees, a reduction in the timeline to the top wage “by more than half” from the current eight years, a cost-of-living adjustment, product commitment to all of its plants and more, according to Ford.
“Here’s the bottom line: We are winning, we are making progress, and we are headed in the right direction,” Fain said.
News wire services contributed to this story.