The United Auto Workers strike against the three Detroit automakers will enter its third day on Sunday, with no immediate solution on the horizon.
On Saturday, negotiators from the United Auto Workers and Ford Motor held “reasonably productive discussions” toward a new contract, the union said, while Stellantis, Chrysler’s parent company, said it had reviewed increases his contract offer.
About 12,700 UAW workers remain on strike as part of a coordinated action targeting three U.S. assembly plants – one for each of the three Detroit automakers – after previous labor agreements, d ‘a duration of four years, expired at 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
Union negotiators and representatives from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis resumed talks Saturday, a day after the UAW launched the most ambitious U.S. labor action in decades.
Mr. Stellantis said main negotiations are expected to resume Monday, while some subcommittee negotiations are expected to take place Sunday at General Motors. UAW President Shawn Fain is scheduled to appear on two national news shows Sunday.
Stellantis said on Saturday that it had revised its offer upwards, proposing increases of 20% over a period of four and a half years, including an immediate increase of 10%. This offer matches those of GM and Ford.
These proposals represent about half of the 40% wage increase requested by the UAW through 2027, including an immediate 20% increase.
Mark Stewart, Stellantis’ chief operating officer for North America, told reporters Saturday that the UAW rejected a proposal to resume operations at an assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, noting that its The offer was subject to the conclusion of an agreement before the contract expired.
At the end of February, Stellantis suspended activities at the Belvidere factory for an indefinite period, citing rising production costs for electric vehicles.
The UAW criticized the company’s stance on the Illinois plant, saying, “They are taking it back. That’s what they view these workers as. A bargaining chip.”
Mr. Stellantis said late Saturday that he was ready to negotiate the future of the plant. “The truth is that UAW leadership ignored Belvidere in favor of a strike,” the company said.
The strikes halted production at three plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri that make the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado, as well as other popular models.
On Friday, Ford announced it was indefinitely laying off 600 workers at a Michigan plant due to the impact of the strike at the site, which makes the Bronco, and GM told some 2,000 workers to be furloughed. an auto plant in Kansas that their plant would likely be closed Monday or Tuesday due to a lack of parts, resulting from the strike at a GM plant in Missouri.
In addition to higher wages, the UAW is calling for shorter work weeks, the restoration of defined benefit pensions and greater job security as automakers move toward electric vehicles. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Writing by Kim Coghill)
2023-09-17 10:00:00
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