UAW workers strike Mack Trucks after rejecting contract
By David Shepardson
(Reuters) -Union workers at Volvo (OTC:VLVLY) Group-owned Mack Trucks went on strike on Monday morning after overwhelmingly rejecting a proposed five-year contract deal, the United Auto Workers said, making it the latest tentative labor agreement to be voted down.
About 73% of workers — covering 4,000 workers in Pennsylvania, Florida and Maryland — voted against the deal that included a 19% pay raise, said the UAW, which is in the midst of contract talks with Detroit's Big Three automakers from whom it is also seeking wage hikes.
Unions have used labor actions to keep employers off-balance this year in the auto, shipping and healthcare industries as they negotiate new contracts. Polls have shown that most Americans broadly support the unions' demands.
In the last 12 months, freight rail workers and employees at shipping company FedEx (NYSE:FDX) have rejected tentative agreements between union management and companies before eventually reaching deals.
The UAW has been on a targeted strike against facilities of the Detroit Three automakers since Sept. 15. About 25,000 of the 146,000 UAW employees at General Motors (NYSE:GM), Ford Motor (NYSE:F) and Chrysler parent Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) are on strike. Canadian workers at GM also are facing a contract talk deadline at midnight on Monday that could lead to another strike.
The proposed Mack deal had included a 19% pay hike, a $3,500 ratification bonus, improved retirement benefits, additional vacation for some employees and a reduction in the time needed to get to top pay.
In online forums, some Mack workers complained that the raise was not large enough to address the impact of inflation.
«I'm inspired to see UAW members at Mack holding out for a
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