Auto workers strike fears grow at Ford, GM, and Stellantis.

The United Auto Workers’ (UAW) contract ends at 11:59⁣ p.m. Eastern⁢ time⁣ on​ Sept. 14, and there is growing concern that auto workers at the Big Three⁢ automakers—Ford, GM, and Stellantis—will⁤ strike.

In August, 97 percent of ⁤UAW’s members who work⁢ at the Big Three voted to authorize a strike unless their ​demands are met. ⁤Strikes could happen in various ways, such as a national strike ​or targeted ‌work stoppages at‍ facilities across the country.

The UAW leadership has ‌demanded a four-year contract on ​behalf of⁣ roughly 150,000 workers that includes a 46 percent pay raise,⁣ a 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay, and the restoration of traditional​ pensions.

Related Stories

• UAW Files ​Unfair Labor Practice Charges Against General ‍Motors ‌and Stellantis

  9/2/2023

• The Political and Economic Impact of‌ a UAW Strike

  8/29/2023

“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,”⁢ said UAW President Shawn Fain in a statement. ⁢“The Big Three have been breaking the bank while we have been breaking our backs.”

Mr. Fain noted in an ​Aug. 31 Facebook Live event that starting pay for UAW members “is $10 an hour less than what ​it was in 2007” when looking​ at inflation-adjusted dollars

But ⁢the Big Three automakers have pushed back against‍ some of the proposals during negotiations.

Ford’s 2023 ⁣offer has⁣ been an increase‌ from 2019. Other offers include a 9 percent general wage increase over the span⁢ of the contract, a $20 starting wage for temporary employees, a $12,000 cost of living adjustment (COLA), health care for permanent UAW-represent hourly employees, and two family ‌days ⁣off per contract.

“We will not make a deal that⁤ endangers our ability‌ to invest, grow and share profits with our employees. That would ‍mortgage our future and would be harmful to everyone with a stake ‍in Ford,​ including ⁤our valued UAW workers,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO, in a statement shared with The Epoch Times. “Bottom line, we ​believe there is⁢ a path to succeed together in what is the most competitive and fast-changing era in the history of the American auto⁢ industry.”

Mr. Fain ⁣dismissed the proposal, saying that it “insults our very worth.”

Meanwhile, General ⁣Motors’ head of manufacturing, Gerald ⁤Johnson, argued that ⁣UAW’s demands maintain “significant ‍costs attached that would threaten our ability to maintain ‍our manufacturing momentum.” Mr. Johnson and GM ‍President Mark Reuss assured all parties that they wanted to reach a “fair” deal without a ​strike.

“No, I’m not worried about a strike until it happens,” President Biden stated. “I don’t think it’s going⁤ to happen.”

However, Mr. Fain rejected President⁤ Biden’s assertion, telling the press during the Labor Day parade that “he must know something we don’t know.”

“Maybe the companies plan on⁤ walking in and giving us our demands on the night before. I don’t know, but he’s on the inside on something I don’t know about,” Mr. Fain said.

President Biden has repeatedly claimed that he is the most pro-labor and pro-union president compared to any of his predecessors.

While other​ labor unions ‌have supported President Biden’s reelection⁤ campaign, the UAW is still sitting⁢ on the sidelines due to the current administration’s electric vehicle policies.

Rep. Ro‌ Khanna (D-Calif.) told CNN that “we need to stand with UAW.”

“American taxpayer dollars are helping build new auto factories,” he said. “CEOs are raising their ‍own wages up to 40​ percent. Autoworkers‌ deserve a raise and safe working conditions.”

UAW members are asking‌ for​ good pay ⁣and‍ benefits to stay in the middle class, says Rep. Elissa⁢ Slotkin (D-Mich.).

“I’ve never heard someone demand to be a millionaire,” she wrote on X. “They are asking to be able to work 40 ho