The UAW union launched simultaneous strikes at three factories owned by General Motors (NYSE:GM), Ford (NYSE:F) and Chrysler parent Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) last Friday. The walkout by some 12,700 workers will halt production of some popular models.
The union has said it was prepared to expand the strike to more auto plants if a deal, for which negotiations started in July, is not reached by Friday noon.
Here is a timeline of events beginning with the election of the new UAW chief in March:
Date Development
March 25 Shawn Fain wins the race for the
role of UAW president; vows to take a tough
stance with the Big Three automakers.
July 10 The union says it will open contract talks
with Detroit’s Big Three automakers starting
July 13.
July 11 Fain says the union is not afraid to hold a
strike at any of the automakers without a
fair contract.
July 19 Fain meets President Joe Biden at the White
House as the union briefed the staff on
contract talks with the Detroit Three
automakers.
Aug. 1 The UAW presents demands to Stellantis, says
the union is seeking ambitious benefit
increases from the Detroit Three, including
double-digit pay rises and defined-benefit
pensions for all workers.
Aug. 2 The union presents contract demands to
General Motors
Aug. 3 The union presents contract demands to Ford
Aug. 8 Fain angrily tosses contract proposals from
Stellantis in a trash can, citing numerous
concessions that the Chrysler parent is
seeking in labor talks.
Aug. 25 The UAW says 97% of voting members were in
favor of authorizing a strike at the Detroit
Three if an agreement is not reached before
Sept. 14.
Aug. 31 The union says it has filed unfair labor
practice charges with the National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB) against GM and
Stellantis, saying they have refused to
bargain in good faith.
Aug. 31 Ford makes a contract offer to the UAW,
providing hourly employees with 15%
guaranteed combined wage increases, lumpsum
payments and improved benefits over the life
of the contract
Sept. 1 The U.S. NLRB says it will investigate unfair
labor practice charges filed by the UAW union
against GM and Stellantis.
Sept 6 The UAW makes a labor contract
counterproposal on economic issues to Ford
Sept. 7 GM makes counteroffer to the UAW that
includes a 10% wage hike and two additional
3% annual lumpsum payments over four years.
Fain calls the offer “insulting.”
Sept. 8 Stellantis says it offered U.S. hourly
workers a 14.5% wage hike over four years but
no lumpsum payments.
Sept. 8 Fain says the UAW union wants a deal to avoid
walkouts at the Detroit Three but expects to
go on strike against all of them next week if
they do not improve their contract offers.
Sept. 11 Stellantis says it plans to make a new
counteroffer to the UAW after the union made
its own revised offer on Sunday ahead of the
expiration of the current four-year labor
deal Thursday night.
Sept. 13 The UAW rejected counteroffers from the
automakers and outlined plans for strikes
targeting individual U.S. auto plants in what
would be its first-ever simultaneous strike
against the Detroit Three.
Sept. 15 The UAW launched simultaneous strikes that
will halt production of some popular models
at three factories owned by GM, Ford and
Stellantis.
Sept. 16 Negotiators for the UAW and Ford
had “reasonably productive discussions”
toward a new contract, while officials at
Chrysler parent Stellantis said a proposal to
resume work at an idled Illinois factory has
fallen through.
Spet. 18 On the fourth day of the strike,
the UAW union said it would announce on
Friday more plants to strike if no serious
progress was made in talks, adding to
pressure on the Detroit Three automakers
Source: Economy - investing.com
