Over the past several weeks, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union has been working on negotiating a new contract with Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, a process that apparently hasn’t gotten very far, even as a September 14th deadline looms. To date, the UAW has revealed that it’s seeking a 40 percent pay increase, the end of tiered pay systems, a cap on temporary workers, and the reintroduction of cost of living increases, but it seems as if there’s one other additional stipulation that we’re just learning about – a four-day, 32-hour full-time work week, according to ABC News.
“We need to get back to fighting for a vision of society in which everyone earns family-sustaining wages and everyone has enough free time to enjoy their lives and see their kids grow up and their parents grow old,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. However, it appears that Ford’s initial contract offer maintains a five-day workweek, so it’s unclear if this stipulation will ultimately make it past the negotiation phase.
Regardless, the sides remain far apart, as Ford is the only automaker of the Detroit trio that has submitted a contract offer thus far, though it’s one that Fain said “insults our very worth.” The Blue Oval is offering the UAW a nine percent general wage increase over the span of the entire contract, which is the largest since its 1999 deal with the union. Additionally, UAW workers would receive coverage worth $17,500 and additional benefits worth another $20,500 in the first year, which would keep those workers in the top one percent of all employer-sponsored medical plans for lowest employee cost sharing.
In the meantime, after. calling for all sides to work together and find common ground, President Joe Biden recently stated that he doesn’t believe that the UAW will ultimately strike, a reaction that Fain admitted he was “shocked by,” adding that “our intent is not to strike. Our intent is to get a fair agreement. There are three companies to bargain with and there are 10 days left to do it. The goal is a fair and equitable agreement for our members. At the end of the day, if we are not there, there will be a strike.”
We’ll have more on Ford’s contract negotiations with the UAW soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
Sure. Reduce output 20% and get a 40% pay raise. As Morgan Freeman said in The Dark Knight, “Good luck”.
Ford is already producing finished vehicles in Communist China for shipment to the USA for sale. Though I understand the workers’ desire to “share the wealth” with FoMoCo, I believe their actions are ill advised and will lead to the loss of their jobs. There doesn’t seem to be any legislative intent to restrict the flow of Chinese products into our country. Quite the contrary, the current administration is trying to increase trade with the Communists. But the union chieftains know that this how their bread gets buttered and forge ahead at the workers’ peril. I wish it were otherwise!
Fain has NO concept of REALITY!
The manufacturers can bring in their salaried people, train them within a half hour max & let the strikers eat ramen noodles on their picket line.
They all have cars sitting on lots now, so a reduction in output would not be a big deal.
32 hr. work week puts you at Part Time status, knocks your wages down with zip for benefits in most companies.
Not happening.
Anyone is capable of working on an assembly line. It’s the constant repetitiveness and physical stress over time that causes the issues. The salary people don’t work on the line because they know better. In fact, I hope they do get a chance to try it out. It would only benefit everyone in the long run once they start crying about how hard it is on the line. Things might change for the better.
Hey Bob I work at Ford and your comment proves to me you have never worked at an auto assembly plant. No way they can do the job with 30 minutes of training. And it doesn’t matter even if they could. I would love to see them do it for a week. And if the CEO can get a 3 million dollar raise in a year. We should be able to get a 40% raise. It’s ridiculous that you would think because they went to college they deserve that much. I don’t care who they are. If they can get a 40% raise we should at least be able to get 20%. You are what’s wrong with this company. Let us starve? Really guys. All you care about is yourselves.
We gave so much back to these companies during the hard times. And then they repay us by giving the supervisors a double bonus last year. We didn’t get that. We bailed them out. We are making 10$ less an hour then we did in 2007 when you figure in inflation. My father in law retired in 2001 and made 28.52 an hr. I make 32.00. What are you gonna say. That’s too much? How much do you make? If you don’t mind me asking. It’s bull that we can’t afford our own vehicles anymore. And that is gonna stop.
I don’t want to strike but what they offered is a huge slap in the face.
And what they claim to have offered publicly is not the truth. They did not eliminate tiers. So I don’t know where they got that from. I think that Biden and him have been to the same school.
Keep up the good fight Mr. Uaw
Country not company. Darn autocorrect. Anyway you get the point.
I get upset when I read stuff like what you posted. I really love it when a process engineer says they don’t add work to jobs unless they know it CAN be done. But what they have done is added work to the hardest job in the line. And the worker down the line on the easiest job is like wow 😲.
Just because you went to college doesn’t mean you are smart.
Really you think you you all deserve that raise when a regular guy is paying for a ranger that gets a setbelt recall cause some highly trained person did not install a setbelt the right way anything a monkey could do. And for the uaw to get a 32 hr work week would be great so you all can have a family time but we all know it’s so you guys can get more time and haf pay so you can make over 128,000 a yr that’s why you don’t want more temp workers. In the mean while I working for myself can’t afford another house payment when I need a new vehicle. I hope you leaches get what you deserve and I will be buying a new vehicle that is none uaw built thank you
If they took the CEOs 3million and gave it to Fords 28,000 salaried employees that would be $107 a year or $2 a week. I hope you all get replaced by robots
Hell yea let um get hungry enough they will go back to work like people always have 40 hours a week. unions are the downfall of this country ain’t a dam one of um could grow something to eat if they had to this country is in trouble so let um strike Too Hell with unions
Couldn’t have said it better myself! F all unions, join the real world.
Why do you not like unions? Aren’t they better for a working man? The only bad thing I see about them is sometimes they have to protect bad workers along with good workers . Other than that unless you own a company they are good. They are what created the middle class. The real world underpays. So nope not joining it.
I typically don’t respond to comments from the ignorant, but in your case I’ll make an exception. The economic strength of this country is due to the middle class which was built by the power of unionization. The UAW must stand strong in their demand for the 32-hour workweek at full pay; the structural changes auto and other industries face dictate the need to adjust the workweek to reflect the productivity gains realized by the business yet not shared with workers and the transition to EV will accelerate structural employment changes, job losses and assembly costs savings that if not shunted to workers will be amassed disproportionately to shareholders.
I guess the 4 day work week would be the reward for the years and years of higher education required to work on the lines at Ford? Wow.
it’s a true privilege to work with a union !! work 27 years under paid over work !! now I have 150,00 union Brothers and sisters who got my back !!! they don’t want equality and that’s what we are working towards .a better life for all union workers
Solidarity forever!
I work in the casino they auto do the same thing strike 😭😭🤬😨😱
Unions had their place decades ago when workers lost limbs and got paid little. Now they’re destroying our competitiveness, and our country along with it. Some jobs just aren’t possible from a remote location. I don’t get to work from home… not 1 minute. I’m not crying about it. If you want to work 32 and get paid for 40 quit and find a new job. Oh that’s right then you’d have to pay more for your health-care, and you’d probably make less money and actually have to bust your ass. Grow up and join the real work force trying to keep America afloat.
This problem is bigger than just the increased labor cost. The automobile industry has always been capital intensive. Now more so than ever. This will leave the extremely expensive facilities sit idle three days a week. Not so if FoMoCo (or other auto builders) produce outside the United States. They can run the plants 5, 6 or even 7 days a week greatly reducing their investment in facilities. Not to mention that the facilities are probably cheaper to build in the first place off shore. I fear the UAW is pursuing a path of self destruction.
Work 32 hrs per week get paid for 40 and still reap the benefits of a true full time employee. I wonder what impact that type of a work week would have for other jobs such as teachers law enforcement. Fain is a joke and resides in fantasy land. He wants to be paid to be lazy and with him all of the UAWs. I hat to say this but if you guys go on strike I tell the big three to fully automate the car building and do away with the workers. How about that instead of your ridiculous demands. If there’s no compromise on either side then their are no jobs therefore let’s fully automate and get rid of the worker, Fain.