Over the past several weeks, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union has been in negotiations with Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis as the two sides aim to hammer out a new contract before tonight’s 11:59 pm deadline. However, with new UAW President Shawn Fain at the helm, these discussions have proven to be tough sledding for the Detroit Big Three automakers, though multiple counteroffers have been submitted to this point as each tries to find common ground. That includes Ford, which just submitted its latest counterproposal to the union this week, one that CEO Jim Farley called its “most generous offer in 80 years.” However, the two sides remain far apart in these proposals, meaning that a strike remains a real possibility. If that happens, another union – the Teamsters – won’t deliver Ford vehicles either, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“We are 100 percent supportive of UAW workers and Shawn Fain’s positions,” said Kevin Moore, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 299. “Our Teamsters will not cross strike lines. I understand their struggles and their issues. I understand the membership of the UAW, and their really strong feelings about fighting for second-tier workers who make $11 an hour less than the full-time workers.”
“This has been going on for years,” Moore added. “You have a person working side-by-side with someone earning $11 an hour less than Tier 1 employees. I understand trying to bring parity to that work group. What good is it for us to deliver goods and services to companies when they have workers fighting for their pay and their conditions? We have to show support.”
Ford’s latest counterproposal to the UAW does in fact meet many of the union’s demands – save for its pay raises, as well as the union’s  request for a four-day, 32-hour full time work week, which Farley said isn’t viable. The CEO previously noted that the automaker is “absolutely ready for a strike” – with salaried workers possibly stepping in if that happens – though such a move could prove quite costly for both the union and the automaker itself. Regardless, the UAW is prepared to use targeted strikes if no deal is reached by tonight’s deadline, and this latest proclamation from the Teamsters would make delivering vehicles a more difficult task for the automaker, too.
We’ll have more on UAW contract negotiations soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
So a Maverick made in Mexico shipped by rail 2,000 miles won’t make it the final 5 miles because of this strike? Damn.
Crap…..
My Maverick is on its way to Florida from Mexico —- ordered it July 2022…. It appears it my truck may be in a strike limbo. This nightmare continues. What a cluster #%€+. If it wasn’t for the price and the hybrid mpg I’d give up on my XLT. The waiting continues- Good luck Robert –
Gayla Steward-Reardon
The teamsters said they wouldn’t cross picket lines. These vehicles are pickup at the rail head which isn’t ford property so the UAW can’t picket there. So your Maverick should be able to be delivered.
Gangsters…oops Unions (freudian slip) have to stick together!
You’re right. They should be charged with organized racketeering.
Why ?
I’m only 200 miles away from Ford plant. Why can’t I just go get it myself
NO Union rules do not allow for logical work arounds.
Most salaried workers have no clue what working on vehicles is about. Most can’t change a tire, do an oil change, or tighten a nut. It got worse in the 90s when non-American new hires who were totally clueless about the vehicles, were placed in jobs in which they didn’t belong.
This is gonna be interesting.. And sad at the same time.
Poor excuse bud, it’s not that hard anymore. They don’t have worry about torque settings as the machine does it for them, they don’t have lift heavy tires and mount them on a truck, they don’t have to wave a paint sprayer and make sure it’s done right.. machines/bots do that. They also have diagrams as to where everything goes.
Being that the front emblem just fell off ( literally) the of my BRAND NEW 72k truck I wouldn’t be bragging about your assembly skills
If I could get a better price than the Stealerships, I would be happy to travel to a Ford Plant and pick up my vehicle.
The avg. base salary of a Ford worker per year is $96,000 plus 6k bonus. That’s $29.99 per hour. BASE salary, that does not include time with the company, overtime, and the big one, BENEFITS.
Have you watched a Ford Assembly plant video?? It’s not like the days when you had to weld by hand everything or use a paint sprayer, or lift tires onto the car/truck. It’s not a dirty place to work either. The UAW pretty much sets the rate scales for ALL OVER UNIONS and also the Minimum Wage scale. Why do you think jobs are sent to China, Mexico? I realize the white collar jobs also get paid very well, but they don’t have a union.
My truck cost me 67,900 in 2022. You can’t touch my trim/model for that much today. And 2024’s will cost a HELL of a lot MORE to the point where if you’re not RICH, you’ll either NOT buy one, or will throw your self so far into debt it won’t be a joke!
I’m not sure where a dough head like yourself got an education in math, but I gotta guess Arkansas. My apologies to Arkansans since I wouldn’t want to be grouped in with this Einstein.
If your salary and bonus figures are correct, they make $49/hr – not $30.
$28-30/hr for legacy employees (hired prior to 2007)
$17-30/hr for IN-PROGRESSION employees
$15.78-19.28 Temps
Sprinkle in Profit sharing and possible bonuses and its still a long way off from $96k unless you’re working loads of OT.
https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/2019/07/uawford/uaw-ford-media-fact-guide.pdf
Top pay is $30/hr … Ford has a UAW – media pdf thats easy to find.
A new F150 starts at 34K.
Teamsters: Thugs.
UAW: Mini thugs.
Crystal Ball: Violence coming if a strike happens.
Give them nothing. If they strike, fire them on the spot! That goes for the Teamsters criminal empire. The auto companies have them over a barrel. Nothing will be selling soon. Nothing!!!
Time to shut down the factories and lock out the union. No work. No pay. Their demands are ridiculous in this ecomomy.
Thank God you are not a negotiator, because if you were, you would give away the store!
If you demand it from one group, you need to demand it across the board. Firefighters, auto workers, bus drivers, police, teachers, pilots, truckers, hotel workers, iron workers .. the list goes on and on. That would age well.
Labor expenses for the Big 3 used to be around 10% years ago. Now it’s only at 5% with these companies currently making record profits. You clearly know nothing about this situation other than what you think in your head, which is wrong.
Union Solidarity at its best, the actors support their union brothers, the Hollywood writers, and the Teamsters support their union brothers, the UAW. My union will also support the UAW.
Maybe the UAW soften their demands if Failure Farley accepts only $1/year for the next 5 years.
Farley’s compensation is ridiculous as is most upper management salaries. The company, Ford, is making record profits this year because selling vehicles at anything below MSRP is rare. Three years ago you could get thousands off a vehicle which proves how much money these shisters are making per unit. Now the $19995 Maverick is history. Dealership have no problem charging thousands over MSRP. Meanwhile the hourly worker and retirees have gained little. They deserve that raise. Ford should take the millions they are wasting on EV development to appease the WOKE and give it too the people that actually put the cars in the driveways. Ford will rue this day if they do not do right by their workers. All this should not raise the cost of these vehicles because the company makes way too much per unit as it is. Go UAW.
When Farley and Mr. Ford went to the last meeting, why wasn’t the UAW president there?
UAW, just like the SEIU I used to be with are nothing but bully’s.
They have an all or nothing attitude that does nothing but put
its workers temporarily out of a job and customers screwed.
Do you anti union people really believe that your employers would really give you paid vacations, paid holidays , insurance and pensions out of kindness and a good heart if their were no unions ?
But yet they have workers that put in 15 hours a week lookin for a rise and a profit check
Profit sharing is based on hours worked Professor
This strikes me as odd…pun intended. I don’t remember the UAW helping teamsters, pipe fitters or laborers when the keystone pipeline shut down. JS