Though North Texas UAW members aren't picketing, they say they're still being impacted
ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Although local UAW members aren't picketing at the GM assembly plant in Arlington, they say they're still being impacted.
"We're in difficult times," member Torey Loyd said. "No one was expecting this to happen. It's just different. Everything is just different."
He says right now, it's business as usual for employees. They're waiting to see if they'll be called to walk off the job and strike.
Meanwhile, GM's CEO is defending the company's current position, saying they've put four offers on the table.
"I'm very proud of the offer that we put on the table last night, or yesterday, because it's a record from a gross wage increase perspective in our 115-year history," Mary Barra said.
A 20% wage hike for U.S. autoworkers over four years, including 10% in the first year.
"It's an insult as a membership to the whole," Loyd said. "I started at $16.67 and, you know, you can go to Buc-ee's here and they're starting off at $20 to $25 an hour."
Loyd says he works six days a week, doing hard, manual labor to make ends meet.
"Most of the members here, we can't even afford any one of the vehicles that come off this assembly," he said. "They're $70,000 or more. Some of us have to work two to three jobs just to support our families. Just to survive. At the end of the day, we have to do what we have to do in order to ensure that we get our fair share."