2023 UAW contract negotiations: Here's what to know ahead of Thursday's deadline
(CBS DETROIT) - As the strike deadline quickly approaches, the UAW and the Big Three are continuing to negotiate.
The UAW is now demanding a 36% pay raise from General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, but the automaker's counteroffers have all been rejected.
This could cause the UAW's first simultaneous strike against the three Detroit automakers.
Here's CBS News Detroit's latest coverage on the UAW amid the possible strike:
UAW locals gearing up for potential strike at midnight
By Gino Vicci
UAW locals across Metro Detroit and beyond are gearing up for a potential strike.
"All the membership's behind it, obviously, 97 percent-plus, and we're ready to do what we need to do," said Troy Diehl, finance secretary at UAW Local 182 in Livonia.
Diehl said union members and leaders are ready for the possibility of a strike tonight at midnight, which is the deadline for getting a new labor contract done with the automakers.
"Here at the local, we're getting signs together/ We prepared a team to process everyone, and we have schedules 24/7 around the clock," Diehl said.
Diehl said the strike is necessary for not only current workers and retirees but also for future employees.
To read more, visit here.
General Motors issues record offer to UAW hours before deadline
By: Sara Powers
General Motors issued a record offer to the UAW Thursday, hours before contracts are set to expire.
The automaker's Chair & CEO Mary Barra announced the offer in a letter addressed to the GM Manufacturing Team saying they have worked days and nights negotiating since receiving the union's demands.
"We've worked days, nights, and weekends since receiving the UAW's demands," said Barra. "We have been bargaining in good faith to deliver a better package with historic wage increases and manufacturing commitments, recognizing your contributions to our company -- past, present, and future. It addresses what you've told us is most important to you, in spite of the heated rhetoric from UAW leadership."
Visit here to find out what GM's offer includes.
What happens to the supply chain if UAW members strike?
By: Andres Gutierrez
In an interview with ABC's Good Morning America, Fain dismissed the idea a potential strike would harm the economy as a whole.
"The price of vehicles went up 30%. In the last four years, CEO pay went up 40%. In the last four years, worker pay went up 6%. We're not the problem," Fain said.
Instead, he suggests it would affect the "Billionaire Economy" and points out disparities in wealth and income.
He argues workers deserve better compensation and working conditions. From the start of contract talks, the union is demanding a 46 percent pay raise over four years.
Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, Fain said they're still fighting to get to that number.
To read the full story, visit here.
UAW won't picket Detroit Auto Show's charity preview event
By: Sara Powers
As the UAW prepares to strike against the Detroit automakers if demands aren't met by the time contracts expire Thursday, the union says they will not picket at the Detroit Auto Show's charity preview event on Friday.
President Shawn Fain and UAW members will be holding a solidarity rally at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15. It will be held at the UAW- Ford National Programs Center at 151 W. Jefferson Ave.
This is right next to Huntington Place, where the auto show events are being held.
According to U.S. Rep Debbie Dingell, she will be attending the solidarity rally and then also be at the charity preview.
"I will join President Fain and UAW at the solidarity rally on Friday, and then attend the Charity Preview," said Dingell on X, formerly known as Twitter. "There won't be a picket line, and we all support raising money for children's charities."
To read more, visit here.
Stellantis makes second and third offers to UAW, but agreement still hasn't been reached
By: Sara Powers
Stellantis announced that the automaker made a second offer to the UAW and then a third offer, but an agreement still hasn't been reached.
According to Tobin Williams, the Senior Vice President of North American Human Resources for Stellantis, the company is awaiting a response to their third offer.
"Since Monday, we have continued to meet with the UAW subcommittees to resolve outstanding issues, proof that we can work together to find solutions on tough subjects," said Williams. "We also passed our second economic offer as promised, as well as a third offer yesterday. We're awaiting their response to this latest offer. At this time, we're withholding details out of respect for the bargaining process."
To read more, visit here.
Some UAW members considering part-time jobs if strike happens
By: Luke Laster
The UAW says members must continue to partake in the strike.
They also say if members receive gross pay from outside work that is equal to or greater than $500, then the member will not receive weekly benefits. However, they would continue to receive medical and prescription drug assistance.
"We've got bills to pay. I'm going to have to DoorDash or Uber or try something," says Ingrid Young, who is one of the thousands of members with one thing on her mind, a looming strike.
"It's not just me, it's my children also," says Young, whose daughters are UAW members as well. Conversations with them and her fellow members have surrounded many topics, one of them being alternate sources of income."
"I'm almost afraid that I may have to look for a part-time job, and I don't think I've had that worry in quite some time," says Young.
To read more, visit here.
How electric vehicles factor into UAW negotiation talks
By: Luke Laster
Members are gearing up, and negotiations are taking place around the clock, according to UAW president Shawn Fain. Aside from many of the points widely talked about, like time off, pay, and vacation, electric vehicles also play a role.
Ausherman comes to Detroit from Belvidere, Illinois, where a Stellantis plant shut its doors in early 2023, citing "competitive global market conditions and the necessary shift to electrification," something Marick Masters, Wayne State University professor of Business, believes is already on an accelerated path.
"There won't be jobs that you need to produce internal combustion vehicles, and those workers are going to be either retooled, relocated, or displaced," says Masters.
Masters says electric vehicles are certainly just one aspect that is and has been a part of many points of the UAW's negotiations with the Big Three. He adds that for jobs pertaining to EVs, the UAW will look to protect under the union umbrella.
To read more, visit here.
For more stories like these ones on that latest UAW news, visit here.
