Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW), the largest labor union for automobile manufacturers in the United States, voted 97 percent in favor to authorize a strike against the Big Three American auto firms last week.
The vote gives union leaders the authority to organize for a strike, but does not make the strike a guarantee. The vote was tabulated on the 25th of August and the strike is set to occur when their current contract expires on September 14th if the companies and the union do not reach an agreement.
“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’s recently elected president Shawn Fain said.
SAVING THE AMERICAN DREAM!
Members of #UAW Local 2164 (Region 8) are ready to stand together for a strong contract.
Join the movement to win justice on and off the job!
Visit the Big Three bargaining hub:
🔗 https://t.co/LNeuG4BZX1 pic.twitter.com/grnSQAEdNe
— UAW (@UAW) August 30, 2023
Earlier in August, the UAW demanded 40 percent increases in pay during discussions about new four-year labor agreements with General Motors (GM), Ford Motor (F), and Jeep-maker Stellantis (STLA).
The 40% raise would be a general increase over the course of the four-year contract, starting with a 20% increase upon the contract’s approval, and four 5% wage increases each subsequent year, according to The Wall Street Journal. At the present time, unionized auto factory workers start at about $18 an hour, with the top wage being about $32 an hour.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Fain is different from previous presidents in aggressively pursuing double-digit increases and the other demands he is making in the contract, such as the right to strike over plant closures sometimes caused by outsourcing, the re-introduction of some retiree benefits, and a concrete employee pension plan. The pay increases and other points are being demanded in light of inflation and rising cost of living.
“This is our time to take back what we are owed. Working together with the companies doesn’t work for us,” Fain said in a Facebook live stream. “The only way the working class advances is if we stand together […] the only way we’re ever going to have a better quality of life for ourselves and our families is if we fight for it.”
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