UAW to vote on strike authorization next week as president says talks with Detroit 3 moving slowly
About 146,000 members of the United Auto Workers union will vote next week on authorizing their leaders to call strikes against the Detroit automakers
DETROIT — About 146,000 members of the United Auto Workers union will vote next week on authorizing their leaders to call strikes against the Detroit automakers.
Union President Shawn Fain said in a statement Tuesday that talks that started in mid-July are moving slowly and have yet to get to wages and other economic issues.
The union's contracts with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis expire in about a month, at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14.
The union did not name a target company for a strike in its statement. Fain is scheduled to hold a Facebook Live meeting with workers later Tuesday.
Strike authorization votes are a routine part of contract talks and are often overwhelmingly approved.
Messages were left seeking comment from all three automakers.
Fain has set high expectations for the contract talks and says the union will seek more than 40% general pay raises over four years, restoration of pensions for newer hires, cost-of-living increases, an end to wage tiers, and other benefits. He has said workers can make big gains but must be ready to strike to get them.
The union also wants guarantees that it will represent workers at 10 U.S. electric vehicle battery plants proposed by the companies. Most are joint ventures with Korean battery companies.
Fain has complained that Stellantis is seeking concessions in the contract when the union wants gains. But a union spokesman said singling out Stellantis doesn’t mean the UAW has picked a company as a strike target, and it could choose all three.
Automakers say they are facing billions of dollars in development costs as the
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